{"id":156521,"date":"2026-05-31T14:11:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T21:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=156521"},"modified":"2026-05-31T14:11:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T21:11:06","slug":"reducing-fuel-consumption-through-shared-travel-and-smarter-mobility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/31\/reducing-fuel-consumption-through-shared-travel-and-smarter-mobility\/","title":{"rendered":"Reducing Fuel Consumption Through Shared Travel and Smarter Mobility"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr, Sarath Obeysekera<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

As fuel prices continue to place a heavy burden on households and businesses, governments around the world are exploring innovative ways to reduce fuel consumption while maintaining mobility. Many developed countries have successfully implemented policies that encourage shared travel, public transport, and flexible working arrangements. Sri Lanka can learn from these examples and adopt practical measures suited to our local conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One successful strategy used in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and several European nations is the introduction of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. These dedicated lanes are reserved for vehicles carrying two or more passengers. By rewarding carpooling with faster travel times, governments encourage people to share rides instead of travelling alone. This reduces traffic congestion, lowers fuel consumption, and cuts carbon emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ride-sharing has become an important part of urban transportation. Digital platforms enable commuters travelling in the same direction to share a vehicle and divide travel costs. In many cities, employers facilitate carpooling among staff members who live in nearby areas. Such systems not only save fuel but also reduce the number of vehicles on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka’s ubiquitous three-wheelers could also play a role in reducing transport costs. Instead of carrying a single passenger for each journey, technology and proper regulation could encourage shared three-wheeler services where two or three passengers travelling along similar routes share the fare. This concept is already being tested in several Asian cities and has proven effective in reducing costs for commuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another area worth considering is flexible working arrangements. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that many office functions can be performed remotely. Governments and private companies could encourage employees to work from home one or two days per week where practical. Even a modest reduction in daily commuting can significantly decrease national fuel consumption and traffic congestion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schools and educational institutions can also contribute. Online learning, already familiar to many students, could be incorporated for selected days or activities. While classroom interaction remains essential, a hybrid model could reduce the number of daily transport trips undertaken by students, teachers, and parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governments can further support these efforts by improving public transport systems, integrating bus and rail schedules, and providing incentives for commuters who choose public transportation. Investments in efficient buses, park-and-ride facilities, and digital ticketing systems can make public transport more attractive and convenient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Singapore has long managed vehicle ownership through strict controls and high registration costs, while cities such as London and Stockholm impose congestion charges on vehicles entering busy urban centres. These measures encourage citizens to use public transport and share journeys whenever possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka is currently facing economic challenges that require practical and cost-effective solutions. Encouraging shared travel, promoting remote work, improving public transport, and introducing incentives for carpooling can collectively reduce national fuel consumption and save valuable foreign exchange spent on fuel imports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The objective should not be to restrict mobility but to move people more efficiently. With careful planning and public cooperation, Sri Lanka can adopt modern transportation practices that reduce costs for citizens while strengthening the national economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarath Obeysekera<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr, Sarath Obeysekera As fuel prices continue to place a heavy burden on households and businesses, governments around the world are exploring innovative ways to reduce fuel consumption while maintaining mobility. Many developed countries have successfully implemented policies that encourage shared travel, public transport, and flexible working arrangements. Sri Lanka can learn from these examples […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-sarath-obeysekera"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156521"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156522,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156521\/revisions\/156522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}