The country´s trishaw unions are out to defy the new regulations set out by a Gazette notification last week requiring them to install meters and issue receipts to passengers.
Chairman of the All Island Three Wheel Owners Association (AITWOA) Sudhil Jayaruk told the Sunday Observer that members of his union will not adhere to the Gazette notification which is due to be enforced from October 1.
This decision was taken due to the failure to implement these regulations through a three-wheel regulatory authority as requested by them.
“We were promised that a regulatory authority for three-wheelers will be set up by June this year,” he said, adding that this has not been done as yet. According to Jayaruk, any new changes should be implemented after the setting up of such an authority. “Without a regulator, issuing such gazette notifications are ineffective,” he said.
He also expressed concern that the Gazette does not address the issue of pricing and has only made the installation of a meter mandatory.
“Prices must be regulated or passengers will be charged unfairly by some three-wheel operators,” he said, adding, that issuing a receipt to passengers is not a practical move.
“Unless these regulations are implemented through a regulatory authority and the pricing issue is addressed, we will not adhere to it,” he said. Accordingly, members of his union will not make the changes made mandatory by the Gazette despite it coming into effect on October 1, he said.