Three Wheelers: A Crisis Created by Policy Paralysis

Successive governments have repeatedly promised to regulate three-wheeler services, particularly fares. Yet these assurances have remained largely rhetorical. Years of weak enforcement and indecision have allowed the sector to operate with minimal accountability, leaving commuters exposed to arbitrary pricing and inconsistent service standards.

Authorities have often threatened to make fare meters compulsory island-wide. In reality, many areas continue to operate without meters, while in others meters are allegedly doctored. This regulatory vacuum has emboldened sections of the trade to dictate terms—not only to commuters, but even to the government itself.

Recent incidents underline the gravity of the situation. At Katunayake Airport, Kandy Railway Station, and popular tourist destinations such as Weligama, Ella, and Nuwara Eliya, three-wheeler drivers have reportedly obstructed APP-based service providers from picking up passengers. In these locations, minimum fares of around Rs. 200 are demanded, even as APP-based services charge approximately Rs. 80 per kilometre. This is not competition; it is coercion enabled by official inaction.

Three wheelers undoubtedly serve an important role, especially in rural areas lacking public transport. However, this cannot justify excessive fares, intimidation, or conduct that damages Sri Lanka’s tourism image. Exorbitant pricing and occasional arrogance are precisely the impressions tourists carry back home.

Policy solutions are long overdue.

First, taxi meters must be made mandatory island-wide, with strict penalties for tampering. Second, designated pickup zones should protect APP-based operators at airports, stations, and tourist sites.Third, a transparent fare framework—linked to distance and fuel prices—must be legally enforced. Finally, a professional licensing and grievance mechanism should hold drivers accountable.Without decisive action, the state risks surrendering public transport governance to chaos, at a cost borne by citizens and visitors alike.
The inaction by the authorities may be due to the voter base with over a million three wheeler drivers, counting over 2.5 million votes, with families added.

Upali Weerasinghe