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Meters mandatory for tuk tuks from 2022

10 Nov 2021

  • In WP from Jan.; islandwide from June
BY Dinitha Rathnayake Having a meter in every three-wheeler used for passenger transport and is plying along routes in the Western Province (WP) would be compulsory from 15 January 2022 onwards, with islandwide metered three-wheeler coverage expected to be concluded by 22 June 2022. All-Island Three-Wheeler Drivers’ Union Chairman Lalith Dharmasekera told The Morning that this was a long-awaited decision from the Government. “We requested to regulate our service for a long time but have been struggling to regulate the profession for the past 20 years. To date, transport ministers of successive governments have failed to implement three extraordinary gazettes pertaining to regulations for three-wheelers,” he said. “After 15 January 2022, every three-wheeler involved in passenger transport in the Western Province should have a meter. From 15 February 2022 onwards, this programme would be implemented in the Southern Province. Then this programme would be implemented in other provinces in the country as well, where 22 June 2022 has been set as the last date by which time all provinces should be covered,” he added. Dharmasekera added that no government really wants to regulate the three-wheelers as there are a considerable number of people who benefit from its pricing irregularity which includes politicians and businessmen. Out of over 1.2 million three-wheelers registered in the country, about 800,000 three-wheelers are engaged in the profession and around three million family members live on that income.


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