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‘Story of the Apey Gamey Bus ’ Lessons from a community managed bus service Sri Lanka

‘Story of the Apey Gamey Bus ’ Lessons from a community managed bus service Sri Lanka. Mohamed Munas Centre for Poverty Analysis Sri Lanka. Transport Sector- Sri Lanka. Public transport accounts for nearly 73% of the total motorized passenger transport

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‘Story of the Apey Gamey Bus ’ Lessons from a community managed bus service Sri Lanka

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  1. ‘Story of the Apey Gamey Bus’Lessons from a community managed bus service Sri Lanka Mohamed Munas Centre for Poverty Analysis Sri Lanka

  2. Transport Sector- Sri Lanka • Public transport accounts for nearly 73% of the total motorized passenger transport • Of this, bus transportation accounts for nearly 68%, with state owned bus service share of 23% and private operator share of 45% provided by small scale operators • Sri Lanka Railway accounts for only 5%, carrying 120mn passengers per year

  3. An Introduction to the Community • A relatively non-poor community (Low income poverty) • Located 13 km away from the town centre and 6 km away from sub-urban area • Community members access the town centre for administrative purposes, and other services like education and health and the sub-urban area for the market • Mainly agriculture based livelihoods- Own account workers and wage labourers in agriculture and gem mines

  4. Selection of the Community • Not through a systematic survey and analysis • The community was proposed by the Provincial Director of transport based on • community was suffering from severe transport difficulties • Community possessed the necessary skills to manage a business venture of this kind that went beyond the CBO management skills

  5. The Community Bus

  6. The Community Bus... • Is in operation for 10 years • Serves about 1030 families in 3 villages • Serves to the adjacent communities- Indirect beneficiaries • Is managed by a limited by guarantee company comprising of community members • Is used to transport passengers and agricultural inputs and produce to the market

  7. The Story of the ‘ape bus’ (Our Bus) • LFRTD decides to pilot a community managed bus project • One of the members – Provincial Director of Transport from the area proposed Rathnapura District and the community • LFRTD visits the community and performs a ‘needs analysis’  the issue of transport comes up • Lack of motorable road • Lack of public transport

  8. The Story of the ‘ape bus’ Contd. • Community initiative for the road construction • The company limited by guarantee formed • The bus comes to the community – in 1998 • Funded by • ITDG • Commercial loans • Fund raising initiatives by the community • The story goes on for 10 years… • Managed by the Directors and the members of the company limited by guarantee • New bus bought – in 2008 • Financed by the sale of the old bus and leasing scheme

  9. Is It Successful?

  10. Is It Successful?In the run for 10 years with hiccups

  11. Is It Successful? • Managed to get the community constructed road tarred • Able to replace the bus • Clear improvement in access to and from the community • Improved road conditions  increase in private vehicle ownership and other vehicles that ply the road • Community bus • Able to make a profit with all difficulties

  12. Management of the Project • The road construction lead by a CBO with a strong leadership • Given the requirement for commercial loans to finance the bus, the need for a company registered under the company act • Rural Transport Promoters Guarantee Company formed (RTP) • Comprising of 7 company directors and 15 members from 5 Community Based Organisation (CBOs) • 4 already existing CBOs and one newly formed

  13. Challenges Faced • A company of this nature entailslegal requirements • Dealing with money • Lack of knowledge and skills to grasp the legal functionalities about the company • The unnecessary rigidity within the company structure • The constant need to repair the road – Challenged financial viability • The constant maintenance requirements of the bus

  14. Lessons - What Has Worked? • The commitment of the community Shramadana (donation of labour) concept • The commitment of the committee members of the company- Time and effort • The attitude of the community towards the bus service – ‘Ape bus’ – ‘Our bus’ • Challenged the idea of ‘rural transport service is unprofitable’ – The reason why private bus holders are not interested…

  15. Lessons-What Needs to be Improved? • The structure of the company needs to be rethought • The formation of CBO in order to get the representation • The apparent gap between the company and the communities  information not shared widely • Decision making  more centralised

  16. Thank You 

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