News
Dispute between tuk tuks and app-based vehicles takes nasty turn amidst regulatory vacuum
View(s):By Sajeniya Sathanandan
The disparity in fares between app-based hire vehicles and non-app-based tuk-tuks is fuelling disputes and sometimes violent clashes, while the government is still grappling with a standardised regulatory framework to address issues.
In a recent incident, a 43‑year‑old taxi driver, Samanthi Pathiranage Wijesinghe, was assaulted by a group of about 30. It began after she took passengers from Sigiriya to Ella.
Samanthi Pathiranage
The following morning, after parking her vehicle on a side road, she was going through the booking app she had registered with when she noticed a warning in a group chat that app‑based drivers and vehicles were being targeted in the area. She was also updated on the situation by a male taxi driver parked nearby. Shortly after, five men arrived in a three‑wheeler and warned him that they would smash his vehicle if he didn’t vacate the premises.
Later, the group turned to Samanthi, verbally abused her, and threatened to smash her car if she did not leave Ella. Within a short time, the group swelled into a mob of about 30.
Samanthi told the Sunday Times that when she tried to video the incident, an elderly man in the gang had approached her car window and pulled her blouse so hard that a button came off. Simultaneously, another man had twisted her arm and demanded the phone be handed over to him.
Amidst the rumpus, her purse that had her driver’s licence and bank cards in it was snatched from the side pocket of the vehicle door.
Maduma Liyanage Subhashana, a 43-year-old retired army officer, was also assaulted by local three-wheel drivers after he brought tourists to Ella on December 20.
He was parked on the Wellawaya road about 50–75 metres from the Ella junction when a group of about 30 three-wheel drivers surrounded him. They asked if he was a PickMe or Uber driver and told him that outside vehicles were not allowed to operate or stay in Ella. They demanded that he leave the area immediately. Mr Subhashana had said that he had the right to be anywhere in the country. A gang of six then attacked his vehicle, causing damage to the body, including the windscreen and the bonnet.
Maduma Liyanage Subhashana
M. R. Nalin Manjula Rathnayaka, a 47-year-old PickMe driver, had lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission about being ill-treated by police and a group of three wheeler driver.
He had arrived at Ella from Negombo on December 18 with a group of Italian tourists. The next morning he was having some tea at a wayside shop when a three-wheeler driver approached him. Soon a gang of about six surrounded his vehicle. They used abusive language on him and told him that he had no right to take passengers in the area and attempted to grab his phone. However, he had managed to record the incident. Two policemen who arrived at the scene had sided with the area drivers instead of conducting an unbiased probe, he said. They had reportedly told him that he should return to Negombo, as local drivers needed business to support their families. He claimed that the officers had refused to listen to his side of the story or even check his app records, which he offered as proof that he was not involved in short-distance hires.
Following the confrontation, Mr Rathnayaka had filed a formal complaint at the police station. His video footage of the incident went viral on Facebook.
Manjula Rathnayaka
National Transport Commission Chairman P.A. Chandrapalasaid they were currently drafting regulations for three-wheelers, school transport vehicles, hired cars, and special tour services.
He said a pricing structure would also be introduced, and the drivers would have the benefits of EPF and ETF.
The National Transport Commission Act (No. 37 of 1991) was amended in 2025, giving the NTC the authority to regulate the public transport services. Mr Chandrapala said the regulations would be finalised in three months.
Meanwhile, All-Island Three-Wheeler Drivers’ Union president Lalith Dharmasekera welcomed the move to draft and gazette specific rules for different transport sectors. He said a consistent fare structure would solve many of the ongoing disputes.
However, the National Joined Three-Wheel Drivers Association president, L. Rohana Perera, said if the NTC had acted fairly and regulated the public transport fares, they would not have allowed the app companies to fix prices arbitrarily, putting the non-app hire vehicles at a disadvantage.
The officially regulated tuk-tuk hire price is Rs. 100 for the first kilometre and Rs. 85 for the second, but many app drivers also use unauthorised phone-based meters while temporarily disconnecting the app to fleece passengers. Mr Perera also welcomed standardised three-wheel fares as a solution.
Additional reporting by
Prasad Rukmal
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