Speaking on the matter, Director-General of NTC Nilan Miranda said the number of complaints about the semi-luxury buses received from the passengers is on the rise.

“We have decided, on the directives of the Transport Ministry, to transform the semi-luxury bus service into either general service or luxury service.”

Miranda said all bus owners were informed about the decision.There are nearly 430 semi-luxury buses in operation, and the bus owners will be given the chance to transform this service into a general service or luxury service free of charge.

Accordingly, the transformation procedure is expected to be completed by May 31.However, the chairman of the Private Bus Owners’ Association Gemunu Wijeratne has raised concerns about the NTC’s decision