Finding the right bus in Pettah

Do not talk to the touts yelling outside. Walk into the Bastian Mawatha Private Bus Station (across from the red CTB buses). Walk all the way to the back. The Highway Express (EX01) buses have English signs in the windows. Ask the driver sitting inside the bus, not the guys outside. Better yet, take an Uber to Makumbura Multimodal Center outside the city to avoid Pettah entirely.