Thailand's Tuk-tuks Go Global As Popularity Wanes At Home

[Jai Dee]

Thailand's tuk-tuks go global as popularity wanes at home

BANGKOK (AFP) - London has its black cabs, Venice its gondolas, and Bangkok its tuk-tuks, but Thailand's iconic three-wheeled taxis are going global as foreigners scramble to pick up a piece of Thai culture.

The smoke-belching motorized rickshaws can now be seen plying Britain's seaside towns, Canada's golf courses and Tokyo's neon-lit streets, and manufacturers have seen a surge in global sales and recognition.

"Japan they have Toyota, they have Nissan, so Thailand has a car also -- a tuk-tuk," says Anuwat Yuteeraprapa, owner of Expertise, a tuk-tuk manufacturer which exports 95 percent of its vehicles abroad.

Anuwat says it is clear why foreign dealers and nostalgic tourists are seeking their own tuk-tuks, known for their white-knuckle rides through Bangkok's congested streets.

"They are really cute and unique," explains the 32-year-old entrepreneur, who exports to the United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Britain and elsewhere in Europe.

"Tourists come to Thailand and they know the beaches, temples and tuk-tuks. It has become a big symbol of Thailand."

But as foreigners snap up the tiny taxis, Thais are turning away from the traditional transport, favouring the slick modernity of air-conditioned cabs or imported Japanese cars.

"Thais want to be modern, and there is a cultural phenomenon that happens in most developing countries of rejecting the old and embracing the new," says Philip Cornwel-Smith, author of "Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture".

And he says there is good reason for snubbing the humble tuk-tuk: they are overpriced, noisy and expose city dwellers to intoxicating blasts of exhaust fumes.

"Fundamentally there are some problems with tuk-tuks," he tells AFP. "They are too big to nip through the traffic like a motorcycle does, and yet they don't perform all the same functions that a taxi can."

Although the tuk-tuk, so-called because of the noise it makes when it starts, has been adopted as a Thai symbol, it actually originates in Japan.

The motorized version reached Thailand in 1959, and after a few technical and aesthetic modifications, it became the colourful, open-air vehicle seen careering across Thailand today.

But tuk-tuk connoisseurs worry that unless they modernize and start matching the cheaper prices of the cooler, safer taxis, they may become little more than a tourist curio.

"I don't think Thai people appreciate my work," Anuwat says with a sigh. "They feel tuk-tuks are noisy and polluting, but they never really look into how they can be improved."

Anuwat says his models feature a four-stroke car engine, which he says makes them smoother, quieter and less polluting than the traditional two-stroke tuk-tuks.

Chett Taikratoke, managing director of Tuk Tuk Thailand Ltd, which exports 80 percent of their tuk-tuks, has taken it a step further and makes tuk-tuks with billboards, garbage disposal units and even refrigerators on the back.

"I would like to develop tuk-tuks for all customers' proposals," he says.

And tuk-tuk exports are booming. Tuk Tuk Thailand Ltd's sales have more than doubled in the last three years.

Anuwat's family has been in the tuk-tuk business for decades, and since he launched Expertise three years ago, sales have rocketed from five units in the first year to over 100 this year.

His tuk-tuks start at 130,000 baht (3,500 dollars) each, and range from a plain blue utility tuk-tuk to the customized metallic pink "Iron Tiger" flying a Jolly Roger and emblazoned with images of pouting women.

And unlike Thailand's traditional version, his tuk-tuks come with seatbelts and laminated safety glass so they meet all the health and safety specifications of the Western world.

"I want tuk-tuks to be all around the world like Toyota," Anuwat declares.

Cornwel-Smith thinks that as modern products become uglier, foreigners will continue to succumb to the charm of the Thai tuk-tuk.

"It appeals to the orientalist thing, it's so romantic," he says.

Source: AFP - 30 October 2006

[LaoPo]

....Export to the United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Britain and elsewhere in Europe???

I doubt it very much.

The safety regulations for vehicles, 2, 3 or 4-wheels, are so strict that I doubt the 3-wheel Tuk-Tuk will pass....

Wishful thinking of this entrepreneur.

LaoPo

[isaanbrit]

No Laopo - its true.

Its even in the Independant newspaper in England. Brighton has tuk tuks.

As for the Thais - it's not surprising that Thais are changing to use metered taxis cause they are so much cheaper. For 100 baht in Bangkok you can sit in a Taxi for an hour's trip-ish, for 100 baht in Korat (and probably Bangkok) a tuk tuk will take you for about 10-15 mins.

[wpcoe]

Its even in the Independant newspaper in England. Brighton has tuk tuks.

Yes, as an article from BBC News explains:

"The vehicles are environmentally friendly, running on compressed natural gas with super-low emissions, the company said."

"The UK versions have been fitted with hoods and curtains to keep out the rain and cold of the English city, and special safety features including passenger and driver seatbelts and strengthened overhead and side-impact protection."

So, they aren't exactly "your father's tuk tuks".