Metro Buses Are NOT Available for Private Weekend Trips; Viral Claim Is False

The idea of hiring a Metro bus for a weekend trip was an appealing one, and the news spread quickly on social media. Posts claimed that Lanka Metro Transit (Pvt) Ltd would rent Metro buses to the public for private journeys on Saturdays and Sundays, when passenger demand is lower. Here are the posts that carried out the claim, and what we found when we checked it.

Social Media Posts

The posts said that Lanka Metro Transit had planned a new programme to rent out Metro buses to the public for private journeys on Saturdays and Sundays, once the Metro bus service had fully begun operating. They said anyone wishing to book a Metro bus for a private trip could call the dedicated Metro Bus hotline to make the arrangements.

News reports also appeared that included a statement attributed to an official linked to the project. The official allegedly said the buses would be offered for private trips because passenger demand drops at weekends. A series of social media posts were created around these reports, as shown below.

Facebook | Archived Link | Newswire | Archived Link | Facebook

Fact-Check

We first checked whether Lanka Metro Transit (Pvt) Ltd had allowed the public to book its buses for private trips, and whether the company had officially announced that it would do so in future. We found no such official confirmation. We then asked the relevant parties directly.

Lanka Metro Transit Chairman Rejects the Private Hire Claim

We contacted the Chairman of Lanka Metro Transit (Pvt) Ltd, S.M.U.P Tilakaratne. He said the posts claiming that Metro buses could be obtained, or would soon be available, for private trips were completely false.

He explained that the speed limit of Metro buses is 65 kilometers per hour, so the buses cannot even be driven on an expressway. For that reason, they cannot be used for private journeys such as trips. He also confirmed that no such decision had been made and no such discussion had taken place.

Lanka Metro also stated on its official Facebook page that the posts claiming Metro buses could be hired for private trips were completely false. You can see the statement here.

Transport Ministry Confirms There Is No Such Plan

We also asked the Media Secretary to the Minister of Transport and Highways about the claim. He too said the posts claiming that Metro buses would be offered for private trips were false, and that there were no such preparations. The Ministry of Transport and Highways published a statement on the matter here. The Deputy Minister of Transport shared the same statement on his official account here.

Newswire Reports the Officer’s Remark Was Not Metro’s Official Position

Newswire later reported that a statement by a project officer had formed the background to the original reports, but that it was not the official position of Metro. Metro said its buses were reserved for public transport services only.

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Conclusion

Our fact-check found that the posts claiming Metro buses could be hired for private trips were completely false. Both Lanka Metro Transit and the Ministry of Transport and Highways confirmed that there was no such plan.

Lanka Metro Transit Chairman S.M.U.P Tilakaratne said that no such decision or discussion had taken place, and that the buses, with their 65 kilometer per hour speed limit, could not be used for trips. The Media Secretary to the Minister of Transport and Highways said the same. Newswire reported that the claim stemmed from a remark by a project officer, which was not the company’s official stance, and that Metro buses were reserved for public transport only.