- Tuk-Tuks: Taking Foreigners for a Ride
- July 13, 2008 Filed under: About Sri Lanka, Firsts, Travel, transportation
From the editor: I am working with a virtual assistant in Sri Lanka called “Nalinka” who I have been rather impressed with for the substantial effort she gives to her projects. Because of plans I have to flesh out something of a real blog (more on that later), I gave her an assignment to write about the Tuk-Tuk (three wheeler). Frankly, I love these things and when I’m in the U.S. I always wonder why cities such as New York or San Francisco don’t have them. Yes, they’re dirty and loud, but it seems to me an engineer could make a few modifications to turn this into a quieter, cleaner ride for tight spaces. I’d love to see it.
In any case, following is the contribution from my VA. Although I might have made some edits, I thought I’d submit it as is, unedited, because I thought she made a great start for her first-ever English-language writing assignment.
Taking Foreigners for a Ride: The Trishaw/Tuk-Tuk
By NalinkaThree wheelers (Tuk Tuks) have a long history in Asia as extremely durable and reliable passenger and delivery vehicles. With new high torque, clean burning, 4 stroke engines, these machines have the low operating costs of a scooter with the toughness of a truck. With a top speed of 40 MPH, they are obviously not intended for highway use, but are ideally suited to local and inner-city transportation and delivery.
Tuk-tuks, also called three-wheelers in Sri Lanka, are a convenient way to get around and can be found almost anywhere; they are much more common than taxis. If you’ve never seen one, it’s basically a motorcycle with a covered seat attached to the back, big enough for three people to ride in, plus the driver up front. Prices seem to vary quite a bit from place to place, and many drivers will try to overcharge foreigners so you may have to bargain hard.
General
Tuk-Tuks are used mainly by the lower-middle-class, since it is a popular mode of transport for short routes within cities. One of the major brands of 3 wheelers in Sri Lanka is Bajaj (Indian). Many other brands are also available but 90% are Bajaj.
A three wheeler typically have no doors or seatbelts. They are different in colour and have a black or green canopy on the top. A three wheeler is generally characterized by a tin/iron body resting on three small wheels (one in front, two on the rear), a small cabin for the driver in the front and seating for three in the rear. They are very fuel efficient. Only Three passengers are allowed legally but they usually take as many as five adults. These are with two stroke or 4 stroke engines, with a handlebar for control (like scooters) instead of a steering wheel, effectively making them a three-wheeler scooter carrying passengers on the rear seat.
Three wheelers are extremely light vehicles considering their capacity. When they break down, only two or three drivers are required to fully lift them off the ground and they can be easily pushed by one driver. However, the construction and characteristics of Tuk Tuk make extremely unsafe class of vehicle. Accidents can result in serious chassis damage, and can easily be fatal to the commuters. Also since the Tuk Tuk incorporates a handlebar for control, this gives an extremely small turning radius to the Tuk Tuk, to operate even in very small roads.
Three wheelers have a top-speed of around 60 km and a cruising speed of around 40 km/h.
Technical Details
Engine: 140 -175 cc, 8.2 HP, 4 stroke and two Stroke,
Transmission: 4 speed forward, 1 reverse
Chassis: welded steel with electro deposited anti-rust base coat
Suspension: Independent trailing arm, coil springs, hydraulic shocks
Curb Weight: 330 - 400 kgs
Carrying capacity: 300 - 400 kgs
Max. Speed: 40 mphGeneral Transport
As a mode of transport, the Tuk Tuk is turning out to be a major employer in Sri Lanka. It is commonly available in all the cities and villages of Sri Lanka. It has become very popular mainly due to the fuel efficiency and the low operating cost.
There is an initial charge at the beginning of a ride then the price normally increases in proportion to the distance . Very rarely u can find 3 whelers fixed with meters. Therefore it is important to ask the price before getting into the 3 wheeler. However, it is rather common to find 3 wheeler drivers charging higher rates when getting down from the three wheeler. Always Hiring involves bargaining.
Sri Lanka government has made a restriction for importing two stroke 3 wheelers due to air pollution and pushing for four stroke engines instead of the current two-stroke versions. Typical mileage for an Indian-made 3 wheeler is around 35 km per litre of petrol(about 2.9 L per 100 km, or 82 miles per gallon).
But this has become a major source of noise pollution on most the city roads. The noise levels produced by Tuk-Tuk often exceed 10 times that of a car.Do you have any interesting stories about Tuk-Tuks? Post them in the comments below.
Photo by Aidan Jones
July 13th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Hi Sean, very nice article. My experience with those death traps were in Thailand. After the initial shock was over, I did not mind the capabilities of the driver! but felt sorry for the by standers. There is one Tuk Tuk in a Thai noodle shop in Berkeley!, which is of course called Tuk Tuk Thai Cafe. It is on Yelp.
As for your wish for bringing them here, they are already here! They are called Smart (http://www.smartusa.com/). Or there will be more from Japan coming soon. Last time I was over there I saw the Subaru’s R1e concept car. I think those will get mo attension than Tuk Tuks.
But the best thing is that you got a super VA. Kudos to Nalinka!
July 13th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Great post, simple and to the point. The three wheelers replaced the Taxi cabs ( VW Beetles and Morris Minor cars) that were around upto the early 1980’s. When they made their debut it was high fun and everyone wanted to ride them. It was and I think is still promoted as a family mode of transport (considering the high price of a car in Sri Lanka) and most families in rural areas prefer it to a motocycle as the whole family could travel in it.
Yes, if the modification for less noise and reduced pollution could be made it is a good mode of transport for short distances. The safety aspect is a great concern, but when you are poor and in a the 3rd world your safety is the least concern, getting from A to B cheap and fast gets priority.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
@ Kalausudda: Are you living in Berkeley? I have a friend there who is partly the inspiration for my original efforts in Sri Lanka. See the post “Notes from the Birdman.” If you are in the area, let me know and we should grab a bite. By the way, it’s hard to envision the Smart car as a Tuk-Tuk. The shape is the same, but dang–that’s a different beast.
@ Johann: Thanks for the feedback. I’ll make sure Nalinka gets it herself. A question–it really was just the early 1980s that the Tuk-tuks came in? That surprises me.
July 15th, 2008 at 2:11 am
Hi Sean,
Yes I am in Berkeley now (and I did read all your articles, with a great interest). But soon I will be gone to Barrow,AK and then back to Boston. But I come to Berkeley regularly, so I am sure we can get together in the future.