TucTucs Come to Brighton

These three-wheeled mo-peds, named after the sound of their noisy engines, originated in Asia, where they are notorious for weaving in and out of traffic at heart-stopping speeds. Dominic Ponniah used them whilst on a gap year in India and became convinced that they were the answer to Brighton’s congestion problems. He has now imported a fleet of 12 from India and refitted them with quiet low-emission engines that run on compressed natural gas. He said "The emissions are really low. There is no lead output, an 80% reduction in emissions of carbon monoxide and CO2 is down 40%.” There is no electric version of the vehicle available yet. The english versions have hoods and curtains to keep out the rain and cold and seatbelts and roll-bars. There is a tradition of painting and decorating the vehicles in wild colours and designs, almost like folk art. These English tuctucs will follow suit; with one painted as a Union Jack, another in Burberry plaid ( a “Chavrolet”) and a yellow one as swiss cheese. The drivers will have a matching designer uniform. They will be run along a special beach route on a timetable, with a flat fare. :: TucTuc Ltd. via BBC News