You can now use UPI for taxis in Sri Lanka
What's the story
NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) has partnered with Sri Lanka's leading ride-hailing service, PickMe, to offer a special discount for Indian tourists. The deal gives a flat 20% off on every PickMe ride paid through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The discount is applicable up to LKR 750 (₹213.49) per transaction. This initiative comes as part of an effort to promote UPI usage among Indian travelers and reduce their reliance on cash transactions.
Payment convenience
Promoting UPI usage
The initiative by NIPL comes at a time when India continues to be Sri Lanka's top source market for tourism.
In 2025, over 531,000 Indian tourists visited the island nation.
The acceptance of UPI across several locations in Sri Lanka, including tourist attractions, pilgrimage sites, shopping centers, and transport services is already making life easier for these visitors.
Ride-hailing giant
About PickMe
PickMe, which serves over 1.9 million users, is Sri Lanka's biggest ride-hailing platform.
It provides mobility services across major cities and tourist hotspots as well as airport transfers.
The new initiative from NIPL extends UPI payments to this regular travel expense for tourists, making local mobility more convenient for Indian visitors during their stay in the country.
Discount usage
How to avail the offer?
To avail this offer, Indian nationals need to apply a promo code and pay via a UPI-enabled app linked to their Indian bank account.
The initiative will let Indian travelers make secure, real-time payments directly from their bank accounts while reducing dependence on cash and currency exchange while traveling in Sri Lanka.