Tuk tuk in the future

For over three decades, Thailand has been riding a motorized tricycle known as “tuk-tuk.” This Thai invention has become a national symbol and has made its presence felt all over the world. Visitors to Bangkok make it a point to take a ride on a tuk-tuk at least once in their lives.
With its distinctive features identified with Thailand, the Ministry of Industry set the goal of promoting the tuk-tuk as a national vehicle, based on Thai wisdom and innovation. The Automotive Institute was assigned to launch the “Tricycle Car Industry Development Project,” to produce Thai tuk-tuks on a par with world standards in terms of safety and efficiency, as a low-cost and multi-purpose vehicle. Local manufacturing of parts and components has been encouraged, with the concept of environmental conservation at the heart of the project.
In the year 2002, a prototype vehicle was introduced, as a result of the work by mechanical engineers of the Automotive Institute. After further improvements and modifications, it could reach a maximum speed of 90 kilometers an hour. The Ministry of Industry held a contest to find a name and logo for the new vehicle. The name “Chai-Yo Thai Tricycle Car” and the logo of a wheel in tri-color white, red, and blue, were adopted, signifying the Thai invention. The product was then patented. However, commercial production and distribution of the vehicle have yet to start, preferably by a private concern. Then, we can all share the national pride in automotive innovation in real terms.

Photo tuk tuk from khao san road

Tuk Tuk on Khao San Road in Bangkok Thailand

Exam : We love tuk tuk

Twenty-seven-year-old Britons Jo Huxster, from Brighton, left, and Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent, from Norfolk, ride a 'tuk tuk' three-wheeled motorized taxi at the British Embassy in Bangkok, on Sunday, May 28, 2006. They are driving their bright pink tuk tuk from Bangkok, Thailand, back to Brighton in the UK. The three-month road trip will take them 12,000 miles (19,000 kilometers) through 12 countries. They are undertaking the trip to raise 50,000 pounds (US$93,000, euro 73,000) for U.K. mental health charity Mind.(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

From : www.thaiphotoblogs.com/index.php?blog=5&title...

The tuk-tuk is basically a souped-up motorbike

Thailand in tuk-tuk tussle

The tuk-tuk is basically a souped-up motorbike
Like Italy's mopeds or America's pick-up trucks, Thailand's tuk-tuks have become a national symbol.
These tinny, three-wheeled taxis, essentially little more than remodelled motorbikes, provide the most convenient means of transport in urban Thailand - and in cities throughout Asia.
Now, as governments around the world fret about traffic and pollution, they are starting to catch on in the West, too.
But the Thai government, eager not to miss out on the boom, is fighting to gain global control of the tuk-tuk name.
The Commerce Ministry is planning to launch legal action against firms in a number of Western countries that it accuses of illegitimately co-opting the tuk-tuk brand.
What's in a name?
The ministry's main target is a British Virgin Islands-registered firm, Tuk-Tuk International, which plans to import and trade the vehicles.
The firm has already been approached by the Thai government, and reportedly refused to change its name.
The government now says it will launch a formal legal protest, but has not yet revealed what channels it will use.
The ministry said it did not want to clamp down on trade, but merely to ensure that the tuk-tuk name is used only on the authentic Thai product.
A previous dispute, with British firm MMW Imports, has been resolved, as the Thai government conceded that it could be a legitimate importer and distributor of the vehicles in Europe.
Brand battle
But lawyers argue that the Thai government will have little chance of imposing an effective global copyright on the tuk-tuk name.
Unlike other universal names - Vespa, Hoover, Jeep and so on - tuk-tuk is not a brand name, but a generic term for vehicles produced in garages all over Asia.
A few Thai firms are planning to step up high-quality tuk-tuk production, but it might be too late to reclaim a popular slang word as a corporate copyright. And tuk-tuk dealers complain that the Thai government's aggressive attitude is relatively recent, calling into question why officials turned a blind eye for years to what they now claim is a point of principle.

Content by BBC NEWs

Getting Around Bangkok

Tuk-Tuks : The colorful, three-wheeled, open-air "samlor" taxis are renowned for their capability to maneuver into the tightest spots, offering passengers an interesting ride. Accommodating two passengers (three or four at a squeeze), it is best for short trips during off-peak hours. Settle the fare BEFORE proceeding. Normally cheaper than metered taxis, the fare should never exceed 200 Baht per trip.

Introduction 'tuk tuk' form thailand

TUK-TUKS

Tuk-tuk has 3 wheels. The majority of people like to use Thai tuk tuk because it is convenient and rapid. Thai tuk tuk uses oil fuel to propel a motor. Thai tuk tuk is modelled on the samlor and they added a motor. Thai tuk tuk is made by Thai people.
The tuk-tuk (ตุ๊กตุ๊ก or ตุ๊ก ๆ in Thai) is the Southeast Asian version of a vehicle known elsewhere as an auto rickshaw or cabin cycle. It 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. Tuk-tuks were introduced in Brighton, England on 10th July 2006, where a fleet of twelve (spelt TucTuc) operate using compressed natural gas, as the first motorised rickshaw service in Europe, between Brighton Marina and Hove, via Brighton railway station.
The tuk-tuk may have a sheet metal body (painted mild steel) or open frame with canvas roof and drop-down sides. Some have ornate tin ornamental hammerings or carvings for decoration. The roof may be either mild steel or a water-proofed canvas, riveted to round tubing. Water-proof removable sides can be added in the rainy season. Resting on three small wheels (one in front, two on the rear), there is a small cabin for the driver in the front and seating for three in relative comfort in the rear. They are very maneuverable and can turn around in one lane of traffic with room to spare.
Tuk-tuks are generally fitted with a water-cooled two-stroke engine. They have handlebar controls instead of a steering wheel, making them a tricycle. The tuk-tuk is named after the sound its two-stroke engine makes when it is idling. It may have been derived from a similar Japanese automobile Daihatsu Midget in the 1950s (later Bajaj of Indonesia), although tuk-tuks of the type used in Brighton, England evolved from the Vespa scooter (later Bajaj of India), using old Piaggio Vespa pattern tooling and a Piaggio-derived 175cc engine. These were the front half of a Vespa, with an axle created for the rear, badged (in Vespa-style) as the Ape. These were used with truck bodies, pick-up bodies and eventually taxi bodies. Later the legshields were extended all the way up and over to create a roof. They generally are low geared, to allow the small engine to move comparatively large loads. Given the low gearing, Tuk-tuks have a high torque-to-weight ratio and can accelerate quite quickly making them nimble, especially in heavy traffic. The lack of high speed capability is irrelevant in heavy urban traffic.
Tuk-tuk drivers may have migrated from the provinces and have a reputation for not knowing the city in which they work very well, therefore getting people lost. Tuk-tuks do not have meters and users generally bargain with the driver for a price to take them to a specified destination. In Bangkok, there is now a maximum fee which drivers may not exceed. This has tended to become the default fee for foreigners. As with all unmetered transport, not agreeing to a fee before departure can risk unethical practice by the driver.
Drivers also earn money by having advertising posters and placards on their tuk-tuks. In early 2005 many of them were covered in advertising for the 6 February election. Tuk-tuk drivers can earn fuel vouchers or other commissions by diverting passengers to certain businesses that cater to tourists, possibly against the passenger's expressed wishes. Most drivers also decorate their tuk-tuks with religious charms and small Buddha images.