Bandaranaike International Airport is 35 km north of Colombo, connected by the E03 Expressway. The useful thing about pricing this particular trip: the airport publishes its own taxi rate card, so most of the cost is knowable before you land rather than guessed at afterwards.
What the airport itself charges
The Airport Taxi Service is run under Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd — the airport operator — with counters in the arrivals lobby and the arrival porch and a fleet of over 600 vehicles. Its air-conditioned rates are fixed per destination and published on the airport's own site. You pay at the counter and are assigned a vehicle.
| Destination | Official A/C rate (LKR) |
|---|---|
| Colombo 01 – Fort | 8,100 |
| Colombo 03 – Kollupitiya | 8,100 |
| Colombo 04 – Bambalapitiya | 8,100 |
| Colombo 07 – Cinnamon Gardens | 8,100 |
| Colombo 06 – Wellawatta | 8,640 |
| Colombo 08–15 (Borella, Maradana, Kotahena and neighbours) | 7,884 |
| Mount Lavinia | 10,476 |
| Negombo | 3,780 |
| Kandy | 21,384 |
| Galle | 23,328 |
| Sigiriya | 28,188 |
Fixed-price private transfer
CMB Colombo City Center
From€25for 2 passengers
Other destinations
Two add-ons are published alongside them: Rs 130 for each extra kilometre travelled beyond the requested destination, and Rs 300 for each extra drop within the agreed journey. Note what the card actually says about geography — Fort, Kollupitiya, Bambalapitiya and Cinnamon Gardens all cost the same, and the inner suburbs from Borella round to Mattakuliya are marginally cheaper than Fort, not dearer. Rate cards are revised, so check the airport's taxi page for the current one before you travel.
The bus
Route 187 runs air-conditioned buses between the airport and Colombo Fort via the expressway. The airport publishes the fare as Rs 325 per passenger, plus a further Rs 325 for baggage over 23 kg. It runs 24 hours a day and reaches Colombo Fort in about 50 minutes. Board at the Departure Terminal outer porch.
What is not published
PickMe and Uber price each ride in the app, and the price moves with demand and time of day. There is no tariff to quote, so open the app on arrival and compare its number against the Rs 8,100 counter rate to Fort. Pre-booked private transfers fix a price when you book. Neither can be reduced to a standing figure on a page without inventing one.
The expressway toll
The E03 toll between Katunayake and Peliyagoda is Rs 400 for an ordinary car, set by the Road Development Authority and gazetted on 17 December 2025. Pre-booked transfers normally include it; ride-hailing fares may not. Ask before you set off.
Tipping
Tipping is not expected but appreciated. Rounding up is standard, and on the long runs to Kandy or Sigiriya a tip is generous and well received.
Payment methods
Pre-booked transfers often accept card payment through the booking platform. PickMe accepts both cash and card. ATMs are available in the arrivals hall if you need to withdraw LKR.