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Three-wheelers not for hire, while regulation stays in cold
View(s):By Yoshitha Perera
Neeta Gunasekara, 65, wanted to go back to the cooking gas queue in Piliyandala where she had left an LPG cylinder, but hailing a taxi, or a three-wheeler, became a challenge.
“I returned home after leaving the empty cooking gas cylinder in the queue. Two weeks later, I received a call from the gas dealer asking me to come because they were distributing gas. The biggest problem right now is finding a taxi to transport it to the house,” she explained.
Taxi drivers pump fuel and resell at a higher price. Pic by Hiran Priyankara
These are the kinds of stories we hear a lot these days.
Although three-wheelers are not classified as public transport, Sri Lankans hire them for the convenience they offer.
However, due to the fuel scarcity, taxis for hire are a rarity. Thousands of three-wheelers are in fuel lines.
“Will these three-wheelers in the fuel queue never get fuel?” a commuter may wonder.
Another commuter claims that these taxi drivers pump fuel and resell at a higher price, instead of running hires.
All of these concerns are valid, as there is no regulation of three-wheelers. Tiran Fernando, 45, a taxi driver who has been operating at the Puwakgas Junction three-wheel stand in Piliyandala for over 20 years, claims that there has been a never-ending fuel queue for days, and that most taxi drivers are helpless.
Taxis for hire are a rarity, thousands of three-wheelers are in fuel lines. Pic by Eshan Fernando
By reselling fuel at a higher price, he recovers his costs. It also brings in a little more money to support the family, he said.
“It’s been extremely difficult to estimate the cost of a hire these days. Commuters scold us, but we have no choice. There are lots of hires, but we can’t accept most of them because we have spent three to four days, if not seven days, to get fuel. We must cover these expenses, and selling fuel is the most viable option. Some commuters call us ‘CEYPETCO Buddy,’ ” he said.
For decades, the flawed public transport has failed Sri Lankans.
The three-wheeler is a basic transport service that meets a need, said Mr Lalith Dharmasekara, president of the All-Island Three-Wheeler Drivers and Owners Association.
“Most taxi drivers must wait at least five days in the queue to buy at least 5 litres of petrol. A lot of money is being spent on the owners of all the vehicles. With the current situation, it is not a crime to sell fuel, which is so difficult to get. However, there is injustice on the part of commuters. That is why we believe professional three-wheeler drivers should be regulated by the National Transportation Commission (NTC),” he said.
Regulation must be speeded up because the lack of fuel is causing most of the injustices, he said.
“There are nearly 1.2 million three-wheelers and nearly 500,000 are professional taxi drivers.’’
About 5 million passenger transport needs have been disrupted as of now. 
Mr. Dharmasekara said encouraging people to use other modes of transport without developing the existing ones is futile.
Former finance minister, Mr Basil Rajapaksa — now in exile — had budgeted Rs. 600 million to set up a three-wheeler regulator, sources from the Finance Ministry said. However, the authority was never established, and the draft of the relevant law governing three-wheelers has been sitting in the Legal Draftsman’s Department for more than a year.
According to Finance Ministry sources, Mr. Rajapaksa appointed a technical committee led by Mr. Renuka Perera, and a report was submitted in March 2022.
“The report containing comments from three-wheeler associations was submitted to the specific committee, but there was no update from the committee regarding future procedures,” Finance Ministry sources said.
Dr. Nilan Miranda, director general of the NTC said several irregularities in three-wheeler operations have been observed in response to the fuel crisis, but due to the delay at the Legal Draftsman’s Department, the amendments required to regulate them have also been delayed.
“Provincial Councils have the authority to regulate three-wheeler fares and standards. Amendments to the National Transportation Act seek to regulate not only three-wheelers but also office and school transport services,” he said.
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