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Away from the usual with a look at how public transport buses operate in Sri Lanka.This one is looking at a trip from Kandy to Negombo. It is a popular route with locals so get there early to ensure a seat. The good news is that there is generally space if you get to the bus stand early so that you can grab a seat say 10 minutes before the bus is due to leave. However the bus does tend to get rather crowded with people standing in the aisles as the journey progresses. Travel in this manner did not used to be popular with tourists but with the advent of social media platforms it is much easier to obtain information about how reliable the transport networks are and what are the pros and cons. This kind of travel is often very appealing to the backpackers. That is because the tourist gets a real flavour of how the people in that region go about their daily business with local Sri lankans often wanting to strike up a conversation especially if they have a little English.This can be very helpful especially when it comes to some confusion over which stop to get down at although most of the bus drivers will help you in this way too.

Luggage however can be a problem. A small piece of hand luggage such as would go in the luggage rack of a plane for example can cause a major headache for the bus conductor. Some will prefer to have their luggage with them in the bus which uses up a seat..valuable income for the bus drivers..but hand luggage can also be carelessly tossed in the luggage compartment at the back of the coach.

The ambiance on the bus is not to be missed though....On this bus there were music videos together with the roar of the diesel engine about 10 street sellers offering cold fizzy drinks sweets nuts and roasting hot chilli nibbles.

The bus was driven in such a manner that it would only stop for a few seconds at the most for most of the stops with some agile sri Lankans jumping on to the slowly moving bus negotiating their way to a seat as the bus progressivley sped up,However it was not due to lack of care since the driver showed such consideration to the old and frail or disabled with the conductor helping them both in and out of the steep steps.
Nevertheless, the second they were on terra firma, off he went.. The process was extremely efficient and as the bus sped up the volume of the drums of the bollywood style Sri Lankan music beat a rhythm all of its own with the bus swerving around the corners and the effigies which belong to the Buddhisst srituality and the fringed drapes swinging from the windows some decorated with silver baubles as we might have during christmas, its all bells and whistles on the number 70 Kandy to Negombo bus.

It is also worth pointing out that smaller companies and some private bus companies publish a mini timetable which can be very useful when you are travelling around the country. Be mindful that as you travel from one region to the next there will be cultural differences meaning that when you are in a muslim area dont expect the same level of activity on a Friday afternoon as in a catholic or christian region since for many muslims this is a time of prayer. Equally, a Sunday is a family day for many Roman Catholics and Christians.

THE PUBLIC BUS