Autorickshaws or tuk-tuks, as they are called, are these wonderful three-wheeled contraptions. Every city in India is congested with thousands of these black and yellow or green and yellow vehicles. Rickshaws are available everywhere and are a convenient, cheap and fun way to travel short distances.
Autorickshaws or Tuk-tuks
Most rickshaws are really cheap. All are supposed to be metered - but, as foreigners, most fares must be negotiated beforehand. For example, we had a metered rickshaw that went ten miles over about forty minutes and the price was only 100 rupees - or about two dollars. Contrarily, if fares are negotiated, they are always a bit higher. Rickshaw drivers are always trying to rip off foreigners.
The driver sits in front and drives the rickshaw like a motorcycle. Two passengers can comfortably sit in the back of the covered vehicle - three people is a bit of a stretch, but I've seen some tuk-tuks with as many as ten Indians crammed in. The sides of the vehicle are open which allows for a refreshing breeze on hot days (and awful smells... see previous blog entry), but rides get quite chilly in the northern part of the country. Rickshaws are a good method of transportation because they can go anywhere. They weave in and out of traffic, nearly getting into accidents and running over pedestrians.
Taxis are tame, rickshaws are an adventure.
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