The Lanka Private Bus Owners Association says 40 percent of buses are not in operation owing to repairs, the inclement weather and various other reasons.
President of the Association Gemunu Wijeratne said commuters could also be affected by the drop in the number of buses that are in operation.
He said while private bus operators planned to deploy plenty of buses for operations, the weather has led to a significant drop in the number of employees reporting to work.
Wijeratne also stated that they sought compensation from the Ministry of Transport due to the COVID-19 situation as a means of support but to no avail.
He noted that only 12,000 buses are in operation of a total of 20,000 buses.
