Leyland bags contract to supply 500 buses to Sri Lanka Transport Board

Commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland on Wednesday said it has bagged a contract for supplying 500 buses to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), of which 75 buses have already been delivered to the Island nation.

The order is a part of a Line of Credit extended by Export Import Bank of India, under the Economic Assistance Scheme of the Indian Government, it said.

The company, however, did not disclose the financial details of the deal.

Sri Lanka Transport Board is the state-owned single-largest bus transport provider in Sri Lanka with 110 depots throughout the country and operates buses in city routes, hilly and rural routes and also long-distance inter-city routes.

Over 5,000 Ashok Leyland buses are currently in operation with SLTB, the company said.

"These new 32-seater buses are expected to be put into operation on rural routes throughout the island. We thank the Government of India for assistance towards strengthening Public Transport Infrastructure in Sri Lanka," said Amandeep Singh, President International Operations, Ashok Leyland said.

The Hinduja group flagship has a bus and truck manufacturing facility in Sri Lanka as well.

The first batch of buses in the project was handed over to the company at Colombo early last month, Ashok Leyland said.

These buses will help combat the heavily crowded public transport in the island nation, supporting mobility and accessibility in Sri Lanka, the company added.