Autobus da Anuradhapura a Negombo

Extremely dangerous driving – absolutely unacceptable This was, without a doubt, one of the most frightening bus journeys I have ever experienced. I have travelled through many countries, including places where road conditions and driving standards are far from ideal, but I have never felt so genuinely unsafe. The driver's driving was reckless and, at times, bordering on criminally dangerous. He was constantly driving at excessive speed, including through villages and on roads in poor condition. Overtaking was continuous and extremely dangerous. At one point, on a two-lane road, there were four vehicles simultaneously trying to manoeuvre around each other because of overtaking. The driver was also constantly using his mobile phone while driving and eating at the wheel. At one point, he was even driving wearing flip-flops, with one flip-flop resting on the clutch pedal while his foot was not actually on it. This was an astonishing level of carelessness. He repeatedly overtook without adequate visibility, sometimes having to brake suddenly because there was oncoming traffic. On one occasion, the sudden braking was so harsh that passengers were thrown forward and hit their heads. The driving was so reckless that at one point he almost managed to overtake a cow that was simply standing on the road, rather than slowing down and safely going around it. The constant and excessive use of the horn throughout the journey was also extremely unpleasant. To make matters worse, this was sold as a “luxury” bus, but the vehicle itself was barely any different from the public buses commonly used in Sri Lanka. It was certainly not the bus that is advertised when purchasing the ticket. The journey was also advertised as a direct service. However, the driver repeatedly picked up additional passengers along the way, including people who did not even have a seat, which made the journey even more uncomfortable and chaotic. And as if all of this were not enough, when we finally reached our destination, the driver did not even stop at the designated bus stop. We had to shout at him before he realised that he was supposed to stop, and passengers were ultimately left standing in the middle of the road with their luggage. This experience was genuinely frightening and completely unacceptable. A company selling a service as “luxury” should be able to guarantee, at the very least, basic road safety, responsible driving and the service that was actually advertised. I have travelled extensively in several countries and have experienced many different forms of public transport. I have never experienced anything remotely like this, nor have I ever felt so seriously at risk for my own safety during a journey. Absolutely unacceptable and deeply disappointing.

Comfortable bus, ran exactly to time. 12Go were very supportive when I was trying to find the bus stop at the start. Just be sure to catch the conductor's attention when you reach your final destination as they may not automatically stop.