Avoiding bus terminal touts and scams in Colombo Pettah
3 Answers from travellers
100% a classic Colombo scam. The public CTB buses are almost never completely broken down. The street touts stand at the entrances and lie to tourists to herd them into overpriced private minivans. Ignore them completely, walk right past them into the terminal, and ask a bus conductor in uniform.
For anyone reading this, take an Uber to Makumbura Multimodal Center instead. Zero scammers there and very clean.
They actually grabbed my backpack to force me to walk with them. Keep your bags tight!
Scam Watch: colombo
Driver claims the meter is broken and quotes an inflated flat rate. Common on arrival at airport or railway stations when tourists are tired and disoriented.
Drivers wearing official-looking uniforms claim to be "government-approved" and charge 3-5x normal rates. They may have fake badges or ID cards.
Women with babies approach asking you to buy milk powder at a nearby shop (not cash). The shop is run by accomplices and charges 5-10x normal price.
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