Transport in Sri Lanka comes in many shapes and sizes, they vary from plain to colourful and some are highly accessorised. Most vehicles have horns that are frequently used. Speed is not a determining factor in choice of transport given that the maximum speed limit is 60km, except on the nations single tollway where the limit is 110km.
Buses
Buses are kings of the roads. Buses are the most common mode of transport in the urban fringe, outside towns and in rural areas - they are large, arthritic old rust-buckets, cheap, noisy and often very crowded. They toot as they are about to pass, heading for any gap in the traffic...watch-out!
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| A miss is as good as a mile! |
Tuk-tuks
Short trips in cities, towns and villages are usually undertaken in tuk-tuks. These three wheeled vehicles are made in India and are mostly red, green or black. We had fun tuk-tuk spotting and also saw florescent green, blue, yellow, orange, metallic pink, purple, beige, white and turquoise. Tuk-tuk spotting also extended to accessories and adornments, such as: florescent stickers and slogans; flowers; coloured LED lights; multiple mirrors; boom boxes; twirly chrome handholds and driver barriers; and roof racks carrying surfboards.
There is no limit to the number of people a tuk-tuk will carry – arms and legs inside please. Our family used them for city shopping and even a day tour around Galle’s main roads, back and side roads. We found them convenient and fun and enjoyed weaving through the traffic and (sometimes) up streets the wrong way. They are amazingly strong – toting four of us and our driver up some short steep hills. Prices for a tuk-tuk are negotiated, by the kilometre or by the hour. In Galle we generally used the same tuk-tuk driver and paid 400Rs per hour.
In every town or village tuk-tuks will line up, competing for fares. Major events like the England versus Sri Lanka Test Match (March 2012) saw the tuk-tuks lined up two and three deep encircling the cricket ground.
Trucks in Sri Lanka fall into two categories – modern monochrome or those that are older and individualised. Rural transport carriers with their box sides provide multiple surfaces for artistic expression – colour dominates and also utilises the company name in the design. We enjoyed seeing these slow trucks on our travels across the lowlands and highlands of Sri Lanka.
One of the more unusual transport carriers, though common in Sri Lanka, were the cultivator front-ends with trailers. These small machines could haul large loads of rice – we marvelled at how large some were. These carriers could also be seen in urban areas and in rural environs.
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