Sri Lanka fines 80 buses for overcharging passengers during festive season

COLOMBO, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's National Transport Commission (NTC) has fined 80 buses for overcharging passengers during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period, the country's most popular holiday, an official said on Sunday.

Rohana Wattage, head of the NTC's mobile bus inspection unit, told journalists that officials inspected 680 buses between April 8 and 18 and found that 80 buses had charged passengers above approved fares.

Wattage said officials refunded the excess fares to passengers and imposed fines on the bus operators concerned.

He said officials inspected nearly 150 buses on April 18 alone and found that 12 had overcharged passengers.

Wattage said the NTC will continue the inspections until April 21. ■