Sri Lanka to dispense fuel for vehicles on odd–even basis

Starting today, March 19, vehicle owners in Sri Lanka will be able to buy fuel using an odd-even number plate system. Dr. Mayura Neththikumarage, the Managing Director of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), announced this new rule. From tomorrow, fuel sales will follow a strict rotation based on the last digit of vehicle number plates. Cars with number plates that end in zero or an even number can fill up on even-numbered days. In contrast, those with odd-numbered plates can purchase fuel on odd-numbered days. This means vehicles ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 will get fuel on even days, while those ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 will be able to fuel up on odd days. The CPC explained that ongoing conflicts in the Middle East are disrupting fuel supply routes, leading to an increase in fuel demand in Sri Lanka. As a result, it's important to save fuel resources. To help with this, the government has brought back the QR code system for fuel access, which started on March 16.