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City Guide > Indian Subcontinent > Sri Lanka > Colombo | |
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Getting Around Public Transport Bus journeys within Colombo can be a nightmare: a combination of the heat, frenetic driving, and crowds. The situation is even worse in the rush hour when crowds are so great that passengers often hang out of the door. Bus colours vary with the operator: Metrobus are yellow. For all buses, you can buy tickets on board from the conductor. Although buses probably do follow a schedule, you would be hard pushed to work out what it is. Taxis Taxis are cheap and far more comfortable than buses. Taxis can be flagged down or tend to hang around outside of hotels. Very few taxis have air-conditioning and meters, so you should be prepared to fix a price before you set off. Taxi companies in Colombo include GNTC (tel: (011) 2688 688), Kangaroo Cabs (tel: (011) 2588 588) and Yellow Radio Cabs (tel: (011) 2942 942). There are also a number of auto-rickshaws in the city. These noisy two-stroke three-wheelers can be flagged down anywhere. They tend to be a little cheaper than taxis but are not very comfortable and expose the passenger to all the traffic fumes. Car Hire Driving in Sri Lanka can be a fraught experience. Officially traffic drives on the left but you will often find other vehicles coming straight towards you on the wrong side of the road. Luckily, it is possible to hire a chauffeur driven car for almost as much (and in some cases much less) than a self-drive car. Ask your hotel concierge or call Kangaroo Cabs (see above). To hire a car you will need an international driving licence, or you will have to obtain a temporary licence by attending the Automobile Association office in Colombo (tel: (011) 2421 58) with your national driving licence. Avis (tel: (011) 2475 458; website: www.avis.com) has a rental office in Colombo; travel agents can also arrange car hire. Bicycle & Scooter Hire It is possible to rent motorbikes and mopeds from Goldwing (tel:(011) 2685 750). Riding bicycles is not recommended. |