1,000 tourism-only vans and buses approved — fair quota or a closed-shop permit?

The Cabinet has approved importing 1,000 vehicles for the tourism sector — 750 vans seating 6-15 and 250 buses seating 16-45 — but only operators registered with the Tourist Board can bring them in, with preference for EVs and hybrids. Toyota Lanka is already advertising brand-new HiAce vans under this window, while ordinary transport operators, school-van owners and private hire drivers can't touch the quota no matter how badly they need a reliable vehicle. Supporters say it fixes Sri Lanka's aging, unreliable tourist transport fleet and pushes e-mobility where tourists and forex earnings are concerned. Critics call it a closed shop: a handful of registered operators get easier access and newer stock while everyone else queues behind the usual age limits and surcharges, and nothing stops a 'tourism' van quietly doing private jobs once it's on the road. Would a scheme like this actually clean up tourist transport, or just hand connected operators cheap vans they can use however they like? If you run tours or a van service, has Tourist Board registration ever actually helped you land a vehicle? මේ වාහන සහනය සංචාරක ක්ෂේත්‍රයට විතරක් දීම ගැන ඔබේ අදහස මොකක්ද?