Sri Lanka three wheeler importation has dropped to almost zero level owing to government’s strict vehicle import ban with only 19 new registrations of tuk tuks posted during the past eight months for the first time in over four decades since it hit the roads, top official of the Motor Traffic Department (MTD) said.
Following its importation to Sri Lanka in quantity in the 1980s by Richard Peiris Company under president J R Jayawardene’s regime with open economy, the auto-rickshaw three-wheeler has replaced the Morris Minor as the taxi of Colombo and the suburbs.
This new three-wheelers taxis service became popular among the middle class and low income earners as a quick and convenient public transport mode at that time providing employment for hundreds of thousands of youth who suffered in frustration without jobs in economic down turn in 1970-77 period.
Three-wheelers are the main form of last-mile transport. They provide flexibility in labour markets, contributing to their popularity.
The final and most significant reason for the large number of three-wheelers is the lack of sufficient public transport – both in terms of quantity and quality. If there was an option for anyone to become a service provider of public transport, most three-wheeler drivers would have become public transport drivers.
MTD Commissioner General Nishantha Weerasinghe said only 2,093 three-wheelers were registered with the department last year.
According to MTD statistics 7,150 three-wheelers in 2020, 15,490 in 2019 and 20,063 three-wheelers had been registered at the Motor Traffic Department in 2018.
He noted that according to official records, new three-wheeler registration exceeds 50000 from 2011 to 2020; the annual average in 2011 was 138426 new three-wheelers the highest three-wheeler registration in a year, compared to 129547 three-wheelers registered in 2015.
He revealed that a total of over 1.18 million three-wheelers are registered with the department thus far but only around 500000 to 800000 were in running conditions at present.
Three wheeler services is an important source of employment for more than 500000, informal sector self employed persons although it has been branded as menace for many road users, a recent survey c revealed.
In the Colombo district, three wheeler drivers usually earn Rs 2000-3000 a day in other districts, some were able to earn around Rs 500 per day.
At present their daily income has come down due to five-litre weekly quota under QR system and the drop in the number of passengers traveling in three wheelers as they cannot afford high fares.
According to City Traffic Police most of these tuk tuk drivers are used to drive recklessly with least concern for other road users, violate traffic rules and road rules and creep into every nook and corner of the roads, cutting to every side, taking sudden U turns.
Among the other offences were stopping to pick-up wayside passengers, overtaking on the opposite lane to beat the traffic lights, constantly tooting the horn and intimidating and abusing other motorists.
Some of these drivers were engaged in drug trafficking and other vices or aiding abetting such offences, a senior DIG said adding that it is essential to regulate this service soon.
