Due to this app, fares are low, and we have no way to earn dollars for the country - Weligama Three-wheeler Owners

Traditional three-wheel taxi drivers in the Weligama area have expressed strong opposition regarding the conduct of drivers providing transport services through mobile app technology like PickMe and Uber, leading to an uneasy situation among drivers in the area due to this issue. They accuse these app-based drivers, who come from outside, of arriving at their traditional taxi stands, exerting various pressures, and forcibly transporting foreign tourists.

Weligama three-wheel taxi drivers complain that these external drivers, in particular, behave in a threatening manner, implying they are members of the underworld and mentioning names of various individuals. They state that these coercive actions have caused them great inconvenience, and this situation has become a significant obstacle for drivers working in the traditional manner to carry out their professional activities.

The protesters also believe that the country is losing out on potential dollar income because drivers operating through technological apps provide transport facilities at very low prices. They argue that since providing services at low prices allows tourists to save their dollars and take them back to their own countries, such mobile app systems should be removed if the country is to develop.

Local drivers state that if a conflict arises with a driver using these apps, about five or six other vehicles immediately arrive to demonstrate their power, and they behave arbitrarily, claiming to have government registration. They further claim that they often wait from dawn until two or three in the afternoon without getting a single fare because drivers using these apps pick up tourists right from the taxi stands.

As a solution to this problem, drivers propose that companies including PickMe should be taken over by the government and a new government taxi service should be introduced. Otherwise, they request the opportunity to hand over their vehicles to the government and work as government taxi drivers. However, they further warn that if the government does not provide a quick solution to this issue, Weligama three-wheel taxi owners are prepared to jointly launch a massive protest in the future.