China Is Donating 100 Electric Buses — Will They Actually Stay on the Road?

Budget 2027 confirmed Sri Lanka will get 100 electric buses as a donation from China, with Rs 4.5 billion set aside for depots, charging points and driver/technician training. Supporters say free buses plus funded infrastructure is about as good as it gets for a cash-strapped transport sector, and electric buses mean lower running costs on crowded city routes compared to ageing diesel ones. Skeptics point to past donated fleets, and some Chinese-brand vehicles already on our roads, that ran fine for a year or two then sat idle once a part needed replacing or no local workshop could service the battery or motor. Add frequent power cuts and rough road conditions outside Colombo, and some wonder if Rs 4.5bn for depots and training is even close to enough for 100 buses' worth of batteries and chargers. Have you ridden a donated or Chinese-brand bus or vehicle here long enough to see how it holds up after year two? Is this a genuine upgrade for commuters, or another fleet that quietly stops running once the warranty period ends? මේ බස් රථ අනාගතයේ හරියට පාරේ දුවයිද, නැත්නම් කාලෙකින් නැවතිලා වගේද?