UK Newsquest Regional Press - This is Brighton and Hove
July 12, 2006 Wednesday
HEADLINE: Brighton and Hove's auto-rickshaw service proves an instant hit
BYLINE: Rob Hustwayte robert.hustwayte@theargus.co.uk
DATELINE: The Argus
Europe's first motorised rickshaw service has been launched in Brighton and Hove.
The novel, environmentally-friendly vehicles promise to be an attraction for tourists and could revolutionise public transport in the city. Tuk-tuks may be a common sight in Bombay or Phuket but Brighton's are likely to remain a head-turning novelty for quite some time. Driver Dan Wilkinson took me on Europe's first official tuk-tuk journey yesterday.
Pedestrians and motorists watched in amazement as we buzzed along Madeira Drive in the three-wheeled mean machine covered in hearts. If you want to get noticed then this is the mode of transport for you. Not for the shrinking violets, be prepared to be waved at, tooted at and chuckled at on your journey. Tuk-tuks will never quite match taxis for creature comforts. The only air conditioning is natural and the noisy natural gas engine means you have to raise your voice to a shout to be heard.
But padded seats, safety belts and all-weather covers make for a surprisingly comfortable ride, perfect for canoodling couples. What they lack in sophistication they make up for in character, convenience, value for money and fun. If you are anything like me you will reach your destination exhilarated and displaying a broad smile. After proving an instant hit in free trials at the weekend, Europe's first motorised rickshaw service began in earnest yesterday when the 12 vehicles took their first paying customers.
The boss of Tuctuc Ltd, Dominic Ponniah, said: "We were quite overwhelmed. We were doing free rides and had queues of 30 or 40 people at our base at Brighton Marina. "I was confident tuk-tuks would be a hit but now I'm convinced they will work in this city. "The interest we have had from the media and other cities in the UK and Europe has been phenomenal. "We have been contacted by people in New York and Belfast interested in starting up and even made the national press in India, the birthplace of tuk-tuks. I think they could end up taking over the western world and be as common a sight as they are in Asia."
Driver Dan Wilkinson, 24, from Hollingbury, said: "I've been out all weekend and I've done nothing but wave at people. "People just beam when they see us and it seems we have brought joy to the city. "I drove up West Street on Saturday night and was greeted by huge cheers from people outside all the pubs."
At £2.50 for any single journey between Brighton Marina, Brighton station and Hove, tuk-tuks have been hailed by civic leaders as a possible solution to the city's chronic congestion problems. The vehicles are also environmentally-friendly, running on low-cost, low-emission natural gas. Incensed taxi drivers are taking the threat seriously and met for an emergency meeting last week.
The city's Taxi Trade Forum is hiring lawyers to challenge the licence granted to Tuctuc Ltd. Mr Wilkinson is in no doubt they will prove popular with tourists. He said: "Brighton is known for being weird and wonderful and slightly crazy and tuk-tuks fit into all those categories. It should have been done years ago.
"They are great fun to drive. It's the best job I've ever had. People say I'm a bit of an extrovert but you can't fail to be in one of these things. "I took an Indian couple out on Saturday night. It was their anniversary and they were going for a meal and said being in a tuk-tuk reminded them of their childhood." Mr Ponniah said he was preparing to order more vehicles from Bombay if the service proved a success, adding: "The early signs are very positive."
Stella Pentecost and Charles Odell are believed to be the first bride and groom in England to take a tuk-tuk to their wedding ceremony. The pair, from Hanover, Brighton, were married at the Royal Pavilion on Saturday.
They booked a tuk-tuk at the last minute after reading in The Argus that the vehicles were being launched as a new taxi service in Brighton and Hove. Stella, 37, who works for a furniture recycling company in Lewes, said: "It was fantastic. We booked it because they're environmentally-friendly, they're bright and they're fun."
Charles, 40, who works for a media monitoring agency, said: "It was not as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. "Lots of people were blowing their horns and waving." Tuk-tuks will operate all year round from 8am to 2am. They run like a bus service, picking up passengers at designated stops along a route from Brighton Marina to Hove and through the city centre to Brighton station. Retired couple Bob and Jan [edited by admin] made a special trip from their home in Beckenham, Kent, just to travel on a tuk-tuk. Mr [edited by admin], 61, said: "We've travelled a lot in the Far East and fell in love with the tuk-tuks over there so had to come down.
"We parked at the marina and got on the Union Jack one into town. We'll do a bit of shopping and sightseeing and then go back."
Mrs [edited by admin], 63, said: "It was brilliant coming along the seafront. "People were staring at us and smiling. "It's a brilliant idea."
Computer consultant Gavin Jones, 45, from Rottingdean, said: "The marina is just down the road and I was really curious to ride on a tuk-tuk. "I'm convinced it will take off in Brighton. It's the ideal city for it and I can't wait for more of them to appear. They would be amazing in London."
Teacher Emily George, 55, of Marine Parade, Brighton, said: "I've seen them buzzing past all weekend. They're great fun and I had to have a go. "I got one from the pier and was surprised at how cheap it was. It's definitely a mode of transport I'll be using in the future and it certainly beats the bus for fun."
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