The QR codes are back. For Sri Lankans, those three words carry the weight of trauma.
The government has reintroduced the fuel rationing system that defined the island nation's catastrophic 2022 economic collapse - 15 liters per vehicle for cars and three-wheelers every three days, 5 liters for motorcycles. The announcement has triggered anxiety across Colombo and beyond as citizens wonder: is this another economic meltdown, or just a temporary supply hiccup?
For gig economy workers who kept Sri Lanka moving through its darkest days, the math is brutal and familiar.
Kasun Perera, 34, drives for Uber and PickMe in Colombo, earning his family's entire income from the steering wheel. He calculated the numbers immediately when rationing was announced.
"I use approximately 25 liters every three days to make enough money for my family," Perera told local media. "Now I can get 15 liters. That means I can work maybe one and a half days before running out. How do I feed my children for the other day and a half?"
The government implemented the QR-based rationing system via the FuelPass app, requiring drivers to register their vehicles and receive allocated fuel quotas. The system worked during 2022's crisis to prevent hoarding and ensure fair distribution, but its return has revived painful memories of mile-long fuel queues, overnight waits at petrol stations, and an economy that ground to a halt.
Sri Lanka's 22 million people endured months of shortages in 2022 as the government ran out of foreign currency to import essential goods. Protesters occupied central Colombo, and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country. The crisis was eventually stabilized through an IMF bailout and painful economic reforms, but the scars remain fresh.
The current fuel shortage stems from the same Middle East supply disruptions affecting India and other regional importers. Sri Lanka, with minimal foreign exchange reserves and high debt levels, is particularly vulnerable to global supply shocks.
