Tuk Tuks

Are they a part of Thai life, or just a tourist icon?

Noisy, smelly, polluting, the iconic tuk tuk is the first thing that springs to mind when people hear Thailand mentioned. They are seen as being unique, cute, funny, are nearly always on a tourists list of essential things to do when visiting Thailand.. but has this symbol of Thailand has it's days numbered as a device that is actually used by the Thais themselves?

The fact of the matter is that these effectively obsolete vehicles are of an old, inefficient design, are noisy and polluting, are usually more expensive than an air conditioned taxi, thanks to tourism (most tuk tuk drivers hang around places they are likely to pick up tourist passengers) and Thais themselves will nearly always reject the tuk tuk as a form of transport as the white knuckle ride gets you to your destination hot, sweaty and dirty from the open air pollution that blows through your hair as your tuk tuk streaks through the streets of the city.

In fact, tuk tuk manufacturers now say that much of their business is from overseas as foreigners feel they want to own a piece of Thailand by owning their very own tuk tuk. In fact, the noisy little vehicle does not have it's origin in Thailand and only appeared there in the late 1950's from Japan.

So, the tuk tuk gets an international market for the time being but as it's use declines in Thailand, so will it's appeal to foreigners as this icon of Thailand eventually goes the same way as the rickshaw. Until such a time, natural gas engines and widespread use in many third world countries mean there's life in the concept for a while.

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