FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – Sri Lankan motorists have complained about lapses in registering for the National Fuel Pass after the government rationed fuel through QR scan while many fuel stations experienced long queues.
Motorists said they are unable to register for the National Fuel Pass when they try to use a new mobile number, different from the one they used during the 2022 crisis. Some motorists could not register because their newly bought used vehicle showed as ‘already registered’ in the system.
The government’s move to address motorists’ registration problems also failed, as they reported being unable to connect to the hotline 1919 or the Energy Ministry’s given number. Some others said they saw fake websites similar to the National Fuel Pass registering website.
Other motorists received a message saying the registration service was temporarily unavailable. After implementing the fuel QR system, D J A S De S Rajakaruna, Chairman of the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, said there should not be any queues because fuel is limited for all vehicles. However, queues were seen outside fuel stations in many places in Colombo.
On Sunday, some fuel stations were not ready with QR scan code readers, though they pumped fuel in restricted quantities. A few stations disregarded the QR code, citing ample fuel, motorists told FINANCIAL CHRONICLE.
(Colombo/March 16/2026)
