As the three-wheeler passengers face unfair and exorbitant fares, the government is looking to expedite plans to regulate the three-wheeler passenger transport service under the National Transport Commission (NTC).
“We will come up with a mechanism to regulate the three-wheeler passenger service under the NTC, within a month,” Cabinet Co-Spokesperson and Mass Media, Transport and Highways Minister Bandula Gunawardane announced.
Gunawardane is planning to seek the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers to amend the National Transport Commission Act to give the necessary powers to the NTC to regulate the three-wheeler passenger transport service.
He noted that the government has seen a significant increase in the number of complaints from the passengers about the unfair fares charged by the three-wheeler drivers recently amid the fuel shortage. In addition, he shared that the government plans to regulate the other passenger transport services such as motorbikes under the NTC, in order to develop an efficient and safe transport service for the public, similar to South-East Asian countries such as Vietnam.
The NTC currently regulates the bus transportation system and in addition, it also advises the government on the national policy relating to passenger transport. Earlier, the government was considering a proposal made by the Three-Wheeler Divers’ Unions to establish a separate authority named ‘Three-Wheeler Regulatory Authority’, to regulate the three-wheeler passenger industry. It is estimated that there are 1.2 million three-wheelers in the country. However, only 0.8 million of these are in the passenger transport industry, which is responsible for the livelihoods of three million people.
