Lyme Regis: Tukxi aims to beat resort's hills
11:00am Saturday 9th July 2011
Taking on Lyme’s steep hills could be a thing of the past with a quirky new vehicle whizzing around town.
The three-wheeled ‘Tukxi’ can be spotted regularly testing the hills and was the official transport of Lyme Regis Jazz Festival at the weekend.
The blue and white tuk tuk – a motorised rickshaw – is more commonly found in the far east but this is an Italian-built Piaggio Ape carrying up to three passengers.
Owner Dennis Spacey has applied to West Dorset District Council to licence the Tukxi as a hackney carriage vehicle, primarily for use in Lyme Regis and Charmouth.
Mr Spacey has spent some time looking for a business start-up in Lyme Regis and said the market for the usual bed and breakfast, food and retail outlets was ‘saturated’.
But tourists of all ages comment on the steepness of the hills, he said.
Mr Spacey, who calls the Tukxi a ‘vertical ascent solution’, said: “I decided that a small eco-friendly vehicle, possibly electric, would work well in the area as a method for getting tourists from the bottom of a hill to the top of a hill.”
He proposes to mainly transport passengers between the beach and car parks.
“It is not my intention to compete directly with local mini cabs or operate 12 hours per day,” he said.
“I see most of my fares coming from tourists wishing to be transported to and from their accommodation and/or the seafront in a very unusual vehicle or to and from the car parks dotted around the town."
“The vehicle will be a mini attraction in itself rather than a 24/7 transport solution.”
Mr Spacey’s application goes before the district council’s Licensing and Appeals Committee today.
As the vehicle will be used for licence and reward, without being pre-booked, it must be licensed as a hackney carriage.
The committee will also be asked to consider a new set of conditions specifically for licensing tuk tuks.
Mr Spacey has suggested a limited range of operation of six road miles from the Cobb.
He said: “Also I would like to be able to operate during festivals and shows such as the Melplash Show, Bridport Hat Festival, Lifeboat Week and other west Dorset events at the request of the organisers and with the permission of the licensing office."
“I will not travel on the A35 with fare paying passengers with the exception of the roundabout between Lyme and Charmouth, which is within my six-mile boundary.”
The Tukxi is a special edition Piaggio Calessino – it is number 491 of only 999 made.
It was made in 2007 at the Piaggio factory near Pisa, Italy, and these vehicles are often seen on the streets of Europe.
Visit tukxi.com for details.
Source; http://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/lyme ... t_s_hills/
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