Auto rickshaw
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An Auto rickshaw (auto or rickshaw in popular parlance) is a vehicle for hire that is one of the chief modes of transport in India and Pakistan as well as Nepal, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Sudan, and is popular in many other countries. It is a motorized version of the traditional rickshaw, a small three-wheeled cart driven by a person, and the velotaxi.
A small number of auto rickshaws and tuk-tuks can be seen on the streets of China Town in London, although used mainly by tourists and not the local population. The auto rickshaw is also related to its Thai, Lao, Cambodian cousins, the tuk-tuk and the Bajaj in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, whereas in Brighton, England auto rickshaws are called tuctucs.
[edit] Vehicle overview
An auto rickshaw, or simply just rickshaw, 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 (called an auto-wallah in some areas) in the front and seating for three in the rear. Autos are generally fitted with a scooter version of a two-stroke engine with a handlebar for control (again like scooters) instead of a steering wheel, effectively making them a three-wheeler scooter carrying passengers on the rear seat. However, the former version has still not become extinct. In North India, there is a variation, powered by a Harley-Davidson engine, called the phat-phati because of the sound it makes. However this is almost extinct because of the amount of pollution it causes.
Auto rickshaws 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 auto rickshaws make auto rickshaws an extremely unsafe class of vehicle. Accidents can result in serious chassis damage, and can easily be fatal to the commuters. Also since the auto rickshaw incorporates a handlebar for control, this gives an extremely small turning radius to the auto rickshaw, which is reflected on Indian roads through auto rickshaws weaving in and out through the traffic and flouting lane discipline.
[edit] Auto rickshaws in India
A majority of Indian auto rickshaws have no doors or seatbelts. They are generally black or green in colour and have a yellow roof on the top. However the design normally depends on the location (state) of the patrol, and so does the color. For example the sides of an auto in Delhi are green (to signify their running on compressed natural gas), while in Hyderabad and Chennai they are yellow. Their design varies considerably from place to place. In some locations, they have an extra plank on the seat to accommodate a fourth passenger. In reality it is not uncommon to see 6-8 passengers in an auto rickshaw with such an ad hoc setup, although, in theory, autos risk fines for carrying more than three passengers in many places. Auto rickshaws that are used for driving children to school have two extra seats/planks like narrow ledges, one facing the main seating space and one to the side. Such auto rickshaws may jam-pack up to 20 children to school.
As a mode of transport, the auto rickshaw is turning out to be a major employer in India. All major nationalized banks of India offer loans to buy one under self-employment schemes. Major auto rickshaw manufacturers in India are Bajaj Auto, Piaggio Greaves, Force Motors (previously Bajaj Tempo), Atul Auto and Kerala Automobiles. A two-wheeler major, TVS Motors, has announced it will enter the auto rickshaw market with a technologically updated and a less polluting vehicle, in early 2006. Not restricted to cities, auto rickshaws are also prevalent in large numbers in Indian villages and in the countryside.
There is an initial charge at the beginning of a ride then the price normally increases in proportion to the distance . It is mandatory that the initial charge be set at a value given by the government. However, it is rather common to find auto rickshaw drivers refusing to go "by the meter" and charging higher rates before allowing the commuter to board. For rainy conditions, some autos have plastic coverings.
[edit] Fares
A rickshaw meter (digital) can accumulate charges (fares) in different ways:
1) The distance traveled in the "hired" (on) mode. The meter is connected to a device within the vehicle - normally a vehicle speed sensor or distance sensor today - which provides information on distance traveled via pulses corresponding to revolutions of the transmission, axle or transaxle. The meter, a small microprocessor, uses this information to establish the actual distance traveled, and computes the fare based upon a program fixed in the meter and calibration information relating the meter to the exact vehicle on which it is mounted.
2) time accumulated in the hired but stopped mode. ("waiting time") The meter runs while the rickshaw is stopped, as in a brief stop at a store, or "Wait here, I'll be right out" situation. The fare is then based upon a programmed amount of money per increment of time - perhaps 1Rs every 58 seconds, etc.
[edit] Fuel efficiency and pollution
In July 1998, the Supreme Court of India ordered the Delhi government to implement CNG or LPG (Autogas) fuel for all autos and for the entire bus fleet in and around the city. Delhi observed a dramatic improvement in the quality of air with the switch to CNG, and this is important for a city where it is not uncommon to see pedestrians and drivers wearing nurse's masks for protection against the prevalent city smog. Initially, autorickshaw drivers in Delhi had to wait in long queues to get their CNG cylinders re-filled, but the situation has improved drastically with the rise of filling stations that sell CNG. Certain other local governments are also pushing for four-stroke engines instead of the current two-stroke versions. Typical mileage for an Indian-made autorickshaw is around 35 kilometres per litre of petrol (about 2.9 L per 100 km, or 82 miles per gallon).
Auto rickshaws are a major source of noise pollution on most Indian city roads. The noise levels produced by auto rickshaws often exceed 10 times that of a car. Dr. V. Raghunathan nicknames the auto rickshaws as "three wheeled rattlers" in his book "Games Indians Play".
[edit] Traffic issues
Auto rickshaws have a top-speed of around 50 km/h (about 31 mph) and a cruising speed of around 35 km/h (22 mph). Traffic authorities in big cities try to implement different mechanisms to circumvent the resulting traffic slow-down issues; however, none of these have really proven to work out.
Autos are banned from plying in the older, more crowded areas of Mumbai, south of Bandra. Some arterial roads of Chennai and Bangalore have a separate lane earmarked for autos and slow two-wheelers, though scant regard is generally paid to lane markings. The triangular form of the auto also makes maneuvering easy, with the front single wheel negotiating the available gap, and the rear two wheels forcing a larger space.
It can be argued that the presence of auto rickshaws has a negative effect on the road culture of the area, particularly with regard to lane discipline and minimum speeds on the inner lanes.
[edit] Hiring
Autos have to install a taximeter according to laws in various parts of India. Many do not have one, however, and even among those that do, some drivers refuse to turn them on. And if indeed its a place where they turn it on, more often than not, the meter will be a tampered one that show more distance than what's actually travelled. Hiring an auto often involves bargaining with the driver. But auto rickshaw drivers across India are often accused of fleecing money by installing faulty meters, taking a longer route to the destination and demanding multiple times the fare early in the morning or late at night, or at times when other means of transport are not available. Fares can also double if the destination is an isolated place (charge for returning empty). Auto rickshaw drivers generally defend themselves against such accusations by blaming the government for its negligence of market realities while fixing the distance-based fares. Passengers unfamiliar with the local language are considered particularly vulnerable to overcharging. Many Cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore and Delhi have made strict regulations to install fare-meters in auto rickshaws. Every new auto entering their streets is required by law to install a digital fare meter to avoid the kind of manipulation with the older mechanical fare-meters.
These drivers are a tribe by themselves with traffic rules of their own . Especially in places like Bangalore, they are synonyms of rudeness who almost always get their way using shocking manners, street-smart ways and threatening or insulting the unsuspecting passenger. Like most other laws in India, the ones thats there to regulate these drivers are also poorly implemented. In some blogs, we see descriptions like 'day-light robbers', 'most hated people' etc about them.
In cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore, traffic-regulating authorities have tried to implement pre-paid schemes where the passengers pay pre-determined auto-fares (depending on the destination) to some central authority and board the autos. In Chennai in 2006, the pre-determined fare was in the range of 50 Rupees for many destinations within the central part of the city. However, it is still far more common for a prospective passenger to simply flag down a rickshaw and negotiate a price without an intermediary official (for reasons like non-availability of prepaid autos at all locations and not wanting to queue up for a long time at the counter.) Drivers often speak only the local language, so knowing some of the local geography as well as having the destination address written in the local language is advantageous.
[edit] Chartered and school autos
Chartered auto services, where the auto rickshaw drivers caters to the hirer at a fixed time every day are also common, especially to ferry children on their trips to and from school, in major cities. Such autos often have tailor-made arrangements for extra seating. Children squeezed tight with their school bags in the gaps is a typical characteristic of these autos. Sometimes, such chartered autos violate traffic rules flagrantly by overloading the passenger area with uncomplaining and playful kids - and this has often led to the autos meeting with minor to fatal accidents, which has prompted stricter control and vigilance by parents and traffic authorities.
[edit] Slogans and advertisements on rickshaws
Auto rickshaw drivers flaunt their affection for film stars, cricket stars and political leaders by putting posters of them on both auto interiors and exteriors.
Autos also feature commercials on the back of their canopies. Certain autos are equipped with locally-made music systems that play tracks from latest musical hits in volumes above normal levels.
[edit] Auto rickshaw drivers
In India, auto rickshaw drivers generally appear in all-khaki clothes. Many of them belong to trade unions and celebrate May Day and International Labour Day.
In Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore, auto drivers often refuse to drive prospective customers to various destinations, albeit this being illegal. The hapless commuter then has to shop around, hopping from auto to auto in search of the right one.
[edit] Auto rickshaw drivers in film
Auto rickshaw drivers are often portrayed in Indian films (Basha, Aye Auto, Oram Po) as well as some Hollywood and foreign productions such as the James Bond film Octopussy.
[edit] Auto rickshaws and crime
In many cities in southern India, auto rickshaws have had a notorious reputation for being the vehicle of operation in criminal activities ranging from petty thievery and "chain snatching" (snatching necklace jewellery worn by Indian women) to murder.
[edit] Share autos
Auto rickshaws have been modified in India to carry more passengers and are called share autos. Office commuters find this version more economical since the fare is shared by more people. Competition among 'share' auto-wallahs has led to the virtual standardization of fare per passenger based on their destination. Shared autos vary in both name and size from place to place. They are called "Phat-a-phats" in Delhi (which are actually variants of what were once horse-driven vehicles), "Shuttle rickshaws" in Ahmedabad, "Seven (7)-seater autos" in Hyderabad, "Tum-tums" in Pune and "Share autos" in Chennai. These large share autos shuttle over a distance of 10 to 15 km to gather a substantial number of commuters. Shared autos play an important role in transporting urban India, where state-organized public transport, while not quite crippled, is congested to a point of extreme unreliability, especially during peak hours. Or connecting the sub-urban areas where state owned transport facilities are very few and unfrequent.
[edit] Racing with autorickshaws
Autorickshaws are able to reach an approximate speed of 50 km/h and so they have never lent themselves to conventional road or street racing. Their modest speed, simple construction and impressive fuel economy has however endeared them to the international amateur adventuring community, most notably with the Indian Autorickshaw Challenge . This parent organisation hosts and organises two different events - The IndianARC Classic and the Mumbai Express - both of which are the brainchild of amicable entrepreneur Aravind B. Kumar. The humble tuk-tuk in this circumstance not only carries hundreds of entrants thousands of miles across wild countryside in the spirit of adventure, but also delivers much needed humanitarian aid to the children of the areas as part of the Adopt-A-Village program organised by the IndianARC Group.
However, on a more real-life note, it is not uncommon to see two and often three auto rickshaws racing each other at break-patience speeds and blocking up entire road traffic at their tail.
[edit] Funny quotations on autorickshaws
Many autorickshaws either carry funny quotations or advertisements. An example is this picture of a Delhi autorickshaw. Most autorickshaw drivers place advertisements out of goodwill and hardly take renumeration because it is usually rare.
[edit] Auto rickshaws in Pakistan
Known locally as Rickshah, and used mainly by the lower-middle-class, it is a popular mode of transport for short routes within cities. One of the major brands of auto rickshaws in Pakistan is Vespa (an Italian Company). The problem of environmental pollution caused by auto rickshaws in major Pakistani cities is a growing menace. Environment Canada is implementing pilot projects in Lahore, Karachi and Quetta with engine technology developed in Mississauga that uses CNG instead of leaded petrol in the two-stroke engines.
An important aspect of auto-rickshaws in Pakistan is that they are home to popular 'mobile graffiti'. Rickshaw owners and drivers often use the rear side of the rickshaw to write witty, funny and even philosophical tag-lines that others on the road read and enjoy.
In addition to ferrying people around, an innovative use of auto rickshaws in public life was the demonstration in Peshawar in 2001 against the American invasion of Afghanistan.
In many cities in Pakistan, there are also motor cycle rickshaws, usually called chand gari(moon car) or qingqi after the Chinese company who first introduced this rickshaw to the market.
[edit] Auto rickshaws in Peru and Central America
The mototaxi or moto is the Central American and Peruvian incarnation of the auto rickshaw. These are most commonly made from the front end and engine of a motorcycle attached to a two-wheeled passenger area in back. Commercially produced models, such as the Indian Bajaj brand, are also employed. In Guatemala the commercial vehicles are referred to as tuk-tuks.
[edit] Auto rickshaws in Indonesia
Referred to as bajaj in Indonesia, are common throughout the country's capital Jakarta. Bajaj is India's main Auto-Rikshaws manufacturer.
[edit] Auto rickshaws in Thailand
- Further information: tuk-tuk
The autorickshaw, called tuk-tuk in Thailand, is a widely used form of urban transport in Bangkok and other Thai cities, as well as other major Southeast Asian and South Asian cities. It is particularly popular where traffic congestion is a major problem, such as in Bangkok.
[edit] Auto rickshaws in the United Kingdom
As of Monday July 10, 2006, auto rickshaws (named tuctucs) were introduced to the city of Brighton & Hove, England, by entrepreneur Dominic Ponniah, who had the idea after seeing the vehicles used successfully in the transport infrastructure of India and Sri Lanka. They were introduced as a cleaner and cooler form of private transport. They are CNG-powered, using a four-speed (plus reverse) 175 cc engine, so are considered more environmentally friendly than petrol powered vehicles.
As of May 2007, under the terms of their license, the tuctucs run on a fixed single route, and stop only at designated stops. They are of the same design as traditional auto rickshaws in other countries such as India, Pakistan and Thailand, being a design evolved since the late 1940s and early 1950s from the Piaggio Ape, which started life itself as a Vespa scooter.
[edit] Issues
An investigation was launched into Tuctuc Ltd's operation of the service after complaints that routes, stopping points and timetables were not being adhered to were raised, primarily by the city's taxi drivers.[1] In November 2006, the company was fined £16,500 - the maximum penalty possible - by the South East Traffic Commissioner. After amendments were made to the timetable to reduce delays and improve reliability, the Commissioner allowed the company to keep its operating licence.[2]
[edit] See also
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[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Autorickshaw Art is a blog that captures the art (pictures) on the backs of rickshaws.
- TucTuc Brighton's autorickshaw service
- TukTuk-Tour - with a TukTuk travelling overlands from India to Europe
- Tracing Tea - An overland expedition driving autorickshaws from London to Calcutta
- The India 1000 An article in WIRED magazine about the sport of autorickshaw racing
- The Genuine Indian Autorickshaw Challenge There is also an interesting autorickshaw whacky racing through India
- Mumbai Auto fares (2007)
