Tuk-tuks on their way out in Thailand?

Bangkok | July 31, 2004 4:29:12 PM IST

Are the days of tuk-tuk, the ubiquitous three-wheelers in Thailand, numbered? Quite similar to auto-rickshaws back home in India, they are called tuk-tuk because of the sound generated by their engine. Once popular among tourists and locals, the tuk-tuks are facing increasing competition from Sky Train and the mass transit system, called the Mass

Rapid Transit, a subway that stretches over 20 kilometres across Bangkok.

The fares of sky trains are not only cheaper, but these are much faster and have proved to be an immense hit among people in Bangkok struggling to cope with the rising pollution and frequent traffic jams. Opened in 1999, the skytrain operates on two lines across the city and runs every three to five minutes during the rush hour.

Though the authorities have imposed a ban on new tuk-tuks, which are noisy and polluting, it has not proved very effective.

The only advantage of a tuk-tuk is that it is faster than taxis in heavy traffic in Bangkok. And for the first timers to Bangkok, who want to take a ride in tuk-tuks, bargain for fares. The drivers quote generally thirty percent more than the going rate.(ANI)

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cant see the point of using them any more , bikes have made them unessesary

Do not have any great thoughts towards Tuk Tuk but this statement is a bit crazy

cant see the point of using them any more , bikes have made them unessesary

How do you get two passengers and shopping on a bike????

CT

Once popular among tourists and locals, the tuk-tuks are facing increasing competition from Sky Train and the mass transit system, called the Mass

Yeah but... neither the Skytrain nor the MRT cover that many destinations. The tuk-tuk faces its greatest competition from the air-condidtioned metered taxi introduced in the early 1990's.

tuk tuk is great- pay for getting through f*** all traffic. I use them all the time especially if I need to get somewhere quickly!

Do not have any great thoughts towards Tuk Tuk but this statement is a bit crazy

cant see the point of using them any more , bikes have made them unessesary

How do you get two passengers and shopping on a bike????

CT

stupid comment - you take a metered taxi for virtually the same price (cheaper on a short run) and get the aircon thrown in .

for what the tuktuk charges 50 bahts a metered taxi does for 35 bahts..no contest on a short hop.

even 2 bikes beats a tuktuk in the rush hour unless you like breathing exhaust fumes.

Do not have any great thoughts towards Tuk Tuk but this statement is a bit crazy

cant see the point of using them any more , bikes have made them unessesary

How do you get two passengers and shopping on a bike????

CT

Only two passengers?

And only seven bags of shopping?

Se it every day in Pattaya

Do not have any great thoughts towards Tuk Tuk but this statement is a bit crazy

cant see the point of using them any more , bikes have made them unessesary

How do you get two passengers and shopping on a bike????

CT

Only two passengers?

And only seven bags of shopping?

Se it every day in Pattaya

We are all the tuk tuks in pattaya? why are there none there? yet just up the road in Sriracha they abound?

tuky

I know that the're "cute" and tourists love to ride them once, but the're pretty useless as far as I'm concerned. They really can't cut through traffic any faster than a Taxi, the're more expensive and less comfortable. If I want to get someplace really quickly during rush hour, a Motorcy is the only way to go, otherwise a bus or taxi is better than a Tuk Tuk.

When I went to thailand the first time they had the bicycle rickshaws Are they still around in some places? I was in Korat when I saw them, Back in 1987 You know nothing lasts forever.

Bicycle rickshaws are still alive and thriving in Phrae

When I went to thailand the first time they had the bicycle rickshaws Are they still around in some places?

They're still around to a limited degree in Chiang Mai but it seems that the clientele is mostly limited to old ladies returning home from the market.

When I went to thailand the first time they had the bicycle rickshaws Are they still around in some places? I was in Korat when I saw them, Back in 1987 You know nothing lasts forever.

They've still got heaps in KhonKaen, theres even an old bloke who rides one around our villiage (BanPaed)

I sure like the Tuk Tuks better then the Trikes in PI. Still

for the price I'll take a aircon taxi...

tuk tuk's are a way to make a living for many poor thais, they are much cheaper to hire for a day than a taxi. And taxis are feeling the pinch from the fuel price hikes, an extra 200-300 baht for a full tank of fuel has made this a harder way to earn a living. A brand new taxi costs about 900 baht(3k baht insurance deposit) to hire for 24hours plus a tank of fuel at 1k baht, so a taxi driver has to first make 1900 baht to even start to get ahead.

the bicycle trishaws ( song lor) are alive and well out in pak kret.

There are still a few bicycle tryshaws in Nonthaburi! Just ride the ferryboat up to the last stop (N30). If you really want to ride one, you can pick one up near the Nonthaburi clock tower.

tuk tuk's are a way to make a living for many poor thais, they are much cheaper to hire for a day than a taxi. And taxis are feeling the pinch from the fuel price hikes, an extra 200-300 baht for a full tank of fuel has made this a harder way to earn a living. A brand new taxi costs about 900 baht(3k baht insurance deposit) to hire for 24hours plus a tank of fuel at 1k baht, so a taxi driver has to first make 1900 baht to even start to get ahead.

the bicycle trishaws ( song lor) are alive and well out in pak kret.

Just a small point but a trishaw has three wheels (if my maths are correct) therefore they are a sam lor.

A song lor would be a bicycle.

"song lor " learn to count

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Do not have any great thoughts towards Tuk Tuk but this statement is a bit crazy

cant see the point of using them any more , bikes have made them unessesary

How do you get two passengers and shopping on a bike????

CT

Only two passengers?

And only seven bags of shopping?

Se it every day in Pattaya

We are all the tuk tuks in pattaya? why are there none there? yet just up the road in Sriracha they abound?

tuky

tuky, i've wondered about that also...in sri racha they are around, but maybe there is a pattaya ban of some sort. i've only seen one or two down there, but not the common bangkok version.

http://www.coltrane-electronics.com/tuktuk/tuktuk.html

if you are paying more for a tuk tuk than a taxi ,youve been had the best thing about them is the agreed fare . if you know (and thats the key) what the fare is by taxi ,you can bargain a cheaper fare and you wont pay any extra waiting time in the traffic,as you would sitting in a taxi going nowhere .i dont use them often,but for many locals they save money . many older ladies arent that keen on weeving through the traffic on the bag of a motocy with a weeks shopping !!

tuk tuk drivers will strap just about anything to the back...saw a clothes machine washer on one the other day and the driver pulling weelies out of big c.