COLOMBO, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Transport Ministry on Friday said it had been made obligatory for all three wheel services in the island country to fix a meter and issue a receipt at the end of the trip.

The new rule had been announced on April 1, but a two week grace period had been issued following a request made by the Taxi Driver's Association.

A Transport Ministry official told Xinhua that passengers could now request a receipt at the end of their trip and those who faced any problems could lodge a complaint at the nearest police station.

Sri Lanka's three wheels, more popularly known as tuk tuk's, is a popular mode of public transport among the locals and tourists.

The Ministry official said the police had been vested with powers to arrest any three wheel driver who will not adhere to the new rule and fail to fix a meter.

"This new law has been made compulsory to regularize the public transport system as we have found that many three wheelers are yet not metered, which leads to passengers complaining that they often get cheated," the official said.

Currently, there are around 750,000 operating three-wheelers as taxis in Sri Lanka.