DMT's New Bus Checkup Every 5,000km Starts 2027 — Safer Roads or Pricier Tickets?

Cabinet has approved new Motor Vehicles (Inspection) Regulations that will make a full roadworthiness check compulsory for buses, vans and other passenger transport vehicles every three months or 5,000km, whichever comes first — on top of the annual emission test you already pay for. The DMT says the test, capped at Rs 2,000 and done at registered garages, is meant to catch worn brakes, bad tyres and failing lights before they cause an accident, with rollout targeted for early 2027. Supporters say with thousands dying on the roads every year, a cheap recurring check beats finding out your bus's brakes failed after the fact. Critics say Rs 2,000 every few months per vehicle, multiplied across a fleet, is a cost no bus or van owner absorbs quietly — it lands on your ticket price, and "registered garage" could just mean another queue and another middleman taking a cut. If you run or drive a bus, van or school vehicle, does a check this often actually catch anything the current emission test misses, or is this just more paperwork before the fare goes up? මෙහෙම චෙක් කිරීමකින් හරියට ප්‍රයෝජනයක් තියෙයිද, නැත්නම් බස් ගාස්තුව තව වැඩි වෙන එකද වෙන්නේ?