New Transport Act Wants Every Tuk Booked Through an App — End of the Street Hail?

Parliament's NTC (Amendment) Act No. 8 of 2025 is now law, though the actual regulations are still waiting to be gazetted. The plan: every three-wheeler, not just the PickMe and Uber ones, would have to run through a digital app, with a certified meter, visible driver ID, a mandatory receipt, and a new welfare levy for drivers. The goal is to kill the old "choon" bargaining game at the roadside and leave a digital trail for every trip so fares, complaints, and taxes are easier to track. Supporters say this finally protects passengers, especially women and tourists, from overcharging and gives drivers some kind of safety net they never had. Critics say it kills the one thing that makes a tuk useful — flagging one down at 11pm on a backstreet with no signal — and that a welfare levy just gets passed straight onto the fare anyway. If this actually gets enforced, will you still flag down a tuk on the street, or does every ride start on a phone from now on? Drivers — does a mandatory meter and levy actually help you, or is it just another cut out of your day? ඇප් නැතුව තුක් එකක් නැවැත්තුවොත් එයා පාරේ රස්තියාදු වෙනවද, නැත්නම් ධාවකයාටම මේක පාඩුවක්ද?