PickMe Review: How to Use the Car Sharing App in Sri Lanka

Getting around in Sri Lanka isn’t too hard since you have a plethora of choices to select from that don’t need booking in advance.

The challenge is that sometimes you want a driver to come to you. Or maybe you have a lot of luggage and you need a car. Or you want to know pricing without having to negotiate or get ripped off.

To solve that, PickMe is a Lyft/Uber-like app that you can use to hail a tuk tuk or a car in Sri Lanka.

We used PickMe six times in Sri Lanka, primarily in Kandy. Couldn’t find any cars in Ella or Galle/Weligama area consistently, although their price calculator is a handy tool in getting a baseline cost to help you negotiate with drivers.

Getting Started

In order to use PickMe, you’ll need a few things:

* Android, Apple, or Windows smartphone so you can download and run the PickMe app.
* Cellular data service in Sri Lanka (we get it free with T-Mobile!)
* A kilometer (or two) of patience.

Hailing Using PickMe

Overall, using PickMe is similar to using something like a Lyft or Uber. It’s a bit wonky, but gets the job done.

Step 1: Open up the PickMe app.

Step 2: Enter in your current location.

GPS is a bit wonky so I recommend a specific address or landmark.

Step 3: Add in your destination.

I’d recommend a specific address.

Step 4: Select a tuk tuk or car type.

Great thing here is that it gives you an estimate of time to arrive at your current location as well as a range of price.

Step 5: Confirm booking and wait for a match.

You’ll get a text message confirming as well as in-app notifications the driver status.

5 Things I Liked About PickMe

1. You can add a credit card and charge your rides to that card! Had no issues connecting and charging my US-based card. Cash is an option as well.
2. Receipts delivered directly to your inbox so you can keep track of your travel expenses easier.
3. Metered fares. This means much cheaper prices than what hailing a tuk tuk or arranging a car via your hotel will give you. You can even use the app as an estimate in bargaining with rides outside the app.
4. Pleasant and friendly drivers. Every ride we had featured exceptionally friendly drivers.
5. Responsive customer service. Had an issue with a ride, emailed support, and they got back around 24 hours later via email resolving my issue.

4 Things I Didn’t Like About PickMe

1. The directory of location names isn’t as comprehensive as what you’d get at home with Lyft or Uber. Putting in an address always worked better.
2. Not a lot of drivers. Many times we couldn’t request a car or tuk tuk since no drivers were available, especially before 8AM or in some cities.
3. Drivers will still ask you where you want to go even if you input the destination. Only one driver used Google Maps.
4. Scheduling a car worked (kinda). A car was assigned and on the way. For some reason after the car arrived, the trip ended before we got on. Had to wait for a second car to come.

Should You Use PickMe?

Overall, I would recommend PickMe since it provides an easy way to book a ride and also has transparent metered pricing that can be paid via credit card. As a tourist, this helps you get a feel for how much a ride would cost.

You’ll have to have some patience though as using PickMe will most likely take longer than just hailing a tuk tuk on the street.

Looking forward to seeing them recruit more drivers and help more people find more rides.

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