travelMONO.com

Popular to tourists because of its novelty is the ever-present “Tuk Tuk”, Bangkok’s famous three-wheeled taxi. Named after the sound coming from its engine pipe, this strange blend of small truck, car and motorcycle can help you get around bangkok more efficiently. With its small size,it can negotiate in and out of traffic snarls fairly easy.

Fares aren’t normally fixed. So the rule of thumb is; agree on the fare before taking the ride. If you ask for the price after, you could be charged a ridiculously high fare and things could get ugly. Depending on the distance it is sometimes possible to negotiate down to less than the taxi flag-down rate of 35 THB. Most times tuk-tuk end up costing as much as a taxi ride unless you happen to be good at haggling and can speak reasonably good Thai.

Without any luggage three people can fit in it with relative comfort.  It could accommodate more but this mat require a little creativity (if not dexterity) from its passengers.

Something to remember. Be wary of tuk-tuk drivers offering extraordinarily cheap trips (ranging from 20-40 THB). More often, it’s a ploy to tak you to some kind of shop, like at tailor, which gives them commission just for taking you there. To be on the safe side, apply the rules to tuk-tuk as you would taxis. Don’t take the ones that spend all the time parked in tourist areas. Try not to make obvious that you’re new to bangkok, and don’t bother taking their hourly “shopping trips” or “sightseeing tours”.

Despite its shortcomings, the tuk-tuk remains one of the many things that make Thailand a unique and must-see destination. A tuk-tuk ride is fun, almost nothing less than a mini roller coaster experience. It’s one experience you shouldn’t pass up on your visit to BKK, Thailand.

Hate it or love it, the tuk-tuk could be a ride of a lifetime