Abstract
OBJECTIVES: In recent years, urban areas across South Asia have experienced alarming levels of air pollution, primarily attributed to the rapid growth of motorised transportation. Three-wheeled taxis, commonly known as 'tuk-tuks', constitute a significant portion of the public transport system in Sri Lankan cities, making it crucial to understand the behavioural attitudes of their drivers in addressing on-road air pollution as they are key stakeholders in urban mobility and environmental sustainability. Therefore, this research aimed to contribute valuable insights into the behavioural attitudes of three-wheeled taxi drivers towards mitigation of on-road air pollution. METHODS: We recruited 67 three-wheeled taxi drivers to participate in semi-structured focus group interviews and in-depth interviews through purposive sampling. The sample size was determined on the basis of data saturation. We collected data from on-site note-taking, audio recording and transcribing the interviews, and subjected them to content thematic analysis manually. RESULT: Behavioural attitudes for mitigation were mainly based on efforts to minimise on-road air pollution, perception of minimising on-road air pollution, knowledge, socio-demographic and legislative factors related to behaviour. CONCLUSION: Behavioural attitudes on mitigation were multi-faceted. To minimise the hazards as well as mitigate air pollution, educating and supporting them financially and by inducing a behavioural change are recommended to safeguard their health.