Jakarta is planning to replace one of the city’s enduring symbols — the orange-colored three-wheeler taxis or the bajaj — with an environment-friendly version that is powered by compressed natural gas.
Jakarta’s governor is behind the effort for the new taxis, and the aim is to cut air pollutants in the ninth densest city in the world.
Flick-shaw could have been just another rickshaw, though with a weird look. Destiny though, had some other plans for the London rickshaw and it came out to be the world’s smallest cinema.
Made for Virgin Media Shorts Awards at the BFI, the 126cm by 130cm rickshaw will comfortably seat two on its red velvet seats and run shortlisted movies from the 12 finalists.
The cozy little cinema has a bespoke screen and floor length curtains for full effect.
Motoring through crowded streets in auto rickshaws (aka tuk tuks), is my favorite mode of transportation in India. They are loud. They are subject to the wind and rain. They miraculously come within millimeters of pedestrians, cows, scooters, bikes, and other auto rickshaws. And they are fun as hell.
The three-wheeled vehicles are covered but door-less. With a two-stroke engine and handlebar controls, it’s similar to a ride at Disneyland, albeit without the circular track to nowhere. Unlike a sanitized, elevated ride in an air-conditioned four-wheel drive tourist vehicle, tuk tuks are the best mode of transport for a close-up look at daily life. You’ll whiz past vegetable markets and get a whiff of ripe bananas, hear locals haggle over goods, and get a birds eye view of monkey shenanigans on the roadside.
They are a familiar sight darting in and out of traffic in the colourful chaos of the Indian city Delhi, but not what you might expect to find at a traditional English wedding in rural Norfolk.
Yet bride Emma Willis, from Toftwood, on the edge of Dereham, could not imagine any better way of arriving at All Saints Church, in Mattishall, on her wedding day than in a three-wheeled Indian taxi know as a tuk-tuk.
The high school teacher fell in love with India while working there in 2006 and 2007, and when she started planning her wedding to Jeremy Smith, a 37-year-old patent attorney from Wilby, Northamptonshire, she knew she wanted to include something from India in their special day.
“When I was in India tuk-tuks were my mode of transport. I loved them. I just wanted something significant about India to be part of our wedding day and the tuk-tuk was also a bit of fun,” said the new Mrs Smith, 35, who did charity work with schools just outside Delhi when she first went to India in 2006 and later worked at an international school in Ooty, in Tamil Nadu.
“It was great coming to the church by tuk-tuk. You could feel the wind as we were driving by and it was just like being in India with all the same sounds.”
Artist kevin cyr built this three wheel pedal-powered camper in april 2008.
The camper sits on a modified bike frame with two back wheel and one up front. the rider sits on the bike and can pedal around, moving the camper from place to place. inside the camper features all the amenities needed in a small and compact envelope. the sculptural piece also became a subject in many of cyr’s paintings. the design is perfect for a solo holiday and will definetly turn some heads along the way.
Recently back in Mumbai after a gruelling auto rickshaw driving odyssey, Australian travel writer Sharell Cook narrates her experiences in an exclusive to domain-b
My flight to Chennai, where the Mumbai Xpress Rickshaw Challenge would be starting from, was delayed nearly an hour. This gave me plenty of time to think about what the next couple of weeks, participating in the Rickshaw Challenge, might bring.
I felt totally unprepared. Even more troublesome, couldn’t help fearing what I’d suspected for quite a while India had finally sent me insane. What other explanation could there be for me agreeing to take part in an event that’s billed as a rally for the “clinically insane”? An event that would require me and my team mate to drive an auto rickshaw for 13 days, over 1,900 kilometers and through four states, from Chennai to Mumbai.
Despite living in India for over three years, I hadn’t been game enough to drive a car, let alone an auto rickshaw that I didn’t know how to operate. What’s more, as little as 30 minutes spent in one of those noisy three-wheeled contraptions was enough to irritate my ears and turn my hair into a knotted mess. How would I cope with 13 days in one? I had absolutely no idea. All I knew was that the opportunity was too hilarious and extraordinary to turn down.
The spirit of adventure that brought 27 people from from around the world together to drive three-wheeled auto-rickshaws across India finally culminated at Mumbai’s JW Marriott in on 13 August 2009.
Divided into 13 teams, they braved the city’s infamous traffic travelling from Alibag in the final leg of the 2,000-km four-state rally, which brought together adventure sports, cultural exchange and charity in an innovative format.
Canadians Christy Denike and Jocelyn Turner, who work for the UN, rode the Mystery Machine. When asked what the hardest part of the tour was, they said the Mysore-Manglore route tested their mettle most. Indian food though was not a problem. ”Riding across the countryside passing through villages was a wonderful experience,” said Christy.
The participants also got a chance to check the under-construction school being built by Round Table India, the charity CEMS has tied up with, for underprivileged children. Last year’s event had raised over Rs10 lakh. The motorists also visited Round Table India’s workshop for handicapped women at Vellore.
“I have no idea how I’ll cope. I haven’t been brave enough to drive a car — which I know how to operate — in India yet, let alone an auto rickshaw! What’s more, merely spending 30 minutes in one of these noisy three wheeled contraptions is enough to irritate my ears and turn my hair into a knotted mess. However, without a doubt, it’s going to be one heck of an hilarious adventure.”
There’s no escaping the ubiquitous three wheeled auto rickshaw in India. Cheaper than a taxi and more convenient than a bus, their loud buzz can be heard all over the country.
However, your experience of India’s auto rickshaws doesn’t have to be restricted to merely riding in them. It’s possible to take the controls and actually race one! And lets face it, who hasn’t at one point in time, wanted to get into the drivers seat of an “auto”? Better still, you’ll be raising money for charity by doing so.
The Rickshaw Challenge operates four auto rickshaw races around India. The Mumbai XPress 2009 is about to get underway on July 31, 2009. However, this year there’s also the Tech Raid 2009 (which starts out from Chennai on October 16, 2009), and the Classic Run 2010 (which makes its way through Tamil Nadu, commencing on December 29, 2009). Next year, the Malabar Rampage through Tamil Nadu and Kerala will kick off on April 2, 2010.
