• Increased incidence of theft of 3-wheeler parts   

    Drivers have complained of an increase of the non-payment by passengers who hire three-wheelers, especially those using their services via online ride-sharing apps.

“There is a huge increase in customers booking a hire and then not paying while there are others who just want to go for a joyride and hire a three-wheeler and then don’t pay,” All-Island Three-Wheeler Drivers Association President Lalith Dharmasekara told The Daily Morning yesterday (21). 

“On average, a three-wheeler driver will face this situation two or three times a week.” Dharmasekara added that three-wheeler drivers are unwilling to spend hours making an entry at a Police station about each and every customer that does not pay. “That is the big issue that three-wheeler drivers face,” Dharmasekara said when queried about the concerns regarding the reports of murders in three-wheelers as well as the recent murder of a three-wheeler driver. 

“This is not a huge issue as despite it being reported recently, it is not new. It is something that has been going on for years. There are only a few reports of murders; however, when compared to the amount of non-payments, it is not significant and not a threat to the three-wheeler drivers.”

In July of this year, a body of a man was found stabbed to death inside a three-wheeler following an argument between two three-wheeler drivers while another three-wheeler driver in Thalangama was found with his throat slashed.

“People also claim that they attack the driver in self-defence, stating that the driver was planning on taking their phones,” Dharmasekara said. 

Dharmasekara also said that there is an increase in the theft of parked three-wheelers where the personal belongings of the three-wheeler drivers as well as three-wheeler parts such as batteries have been stolen while the driver was away. It was also said that there have even been cases of the theft of the entire vehicle.