Our Story

Our story began nearly 10,000 miles away on a tropical island called Sri Lanka. Growing up, my siblings and I would all ride on my father’s motorcycle to get around. It quickly became clear that this was not the safest way to travel, and my parents knew we would need a safer family vehicle soon. Since finances were tight, a tuk-tuk was the only best option.

When my dad brought home the tuk-tuk (pictured here), it was one of the most exciting days of my little life! I still remember the feeling of exhilaration as the entire family got into the tuk-tuk and rode around our town. I remember the smiles on all the neighbors’ faces, the neighborhood kids running alongside the tuk-tuk, and my family waving through the city as if we were riding on a royal carriage! For that brief moment, we were royalty!

Soon after, my family and I immigrated to the US, leaving everything we knew behind. Leaving a tropical island to live in the concrete jungle did not come without its challenges. Through major growing pains, we persevered. I finished my schooling in Los Angeles, and was accepted into UC Davis to pursue a degree in Psychology. There, I completed my Bachelor’s Degree and decided to continue onto my Master’s studies in Counseling Psychology at Sacramento State University.

As soon as I moved to Sacramento, I realized that this was a special place. The pace, the tree-lined streets, the sense of community, were all reminiscent of our old life in Sri Lanka. It quickly became a second home. Slowly but surely, the puzzle pieces were coming together to inspire this little company. What I knew for sure was that I wanted to start setting my roots here. I began exploring all the different ways I could accomplish that. While brainstorming, I realized that I wanted a few things in my life: to work for myself (#girlboss), to honor my Sri Lankan roots, and to combine that with my love for Sacramento. I realized that bringing a tuk-tuk to Sacramento could accomplish all of these dreams!

While completing my graduate degree, I began developing Capital Tuk-Tuk. I spent whatever free time I had researching, teaching myself business development skills, traveling to the manufacturing site, and building the team. I brought on our cofounder, Angel, I attended networking events, pitched the business idea to investors, and talked to anyone who would listen about this dream. We hit many, MANY, roadblocks (I cannot imagine anyone had a ‘global pandemic’ listed in their projection charts). By 2020, we were able to bring our first tuk-tuk to Sacramento, and immediately after, the entire world shut down, and as a result, so does all operations of Capital Tuk-Tuk.

I was devastated. It seemed that this dream would die before it even had a chance to fly. I sat with myself, consulted, and ultimaely decided to commit to a hiatus and reassessment. I packed up and moved back to Los Angeles, and took the tuk-tuk with me (no pun intended). I focused on my career as a therapist while the tuk stayed burrowed away in a parking garage. I slowly began to accept that this may have been a failed dream. Time passed, and it seemed that closing up shop would be an inevitable reality. September of 2022, I sat in my room, and decided to ask a final plea from the Universe. I questioned why this idea came to me, why we were able to go so far, and why we are at this fork in the road. I pleaded for a sign of whether or not it was time to throw in the towel.

Believe it or not, within two weeks, all of my questions were answered. During this time, things began to shift and align quickly, making it possible for me to return to my beloved city of Sacramento, and immediately begin operations. Through the kindness of the community, we found a garaging location, developed a few touring routes, and was quickly back in business! By December 2022, we had sold out of all the tours available! Today, we are embarking on our 3rd year of operations in Sacramento, and the company continues to grow. We have brought on a new driver, and are looking to hire another employee soon. We are also gearing up to bring our second tuk-tuk to the city!

While this is a very watered down version of our story, one day, I hope I can share all of the details with you all. I would love to share about the tears, the sacrifice, and the increbile support we have received from our Sacramento community. From its conception in 2015, we have taken a journey filled with twists and turns to make Capital Tuk-Tuk a reality, and we could not be here without everyone that has supported us for almost 10 years now.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything, we are looking forward to the next chapter! Keep On Tukkin!

With Gratitude,