India Transport

It was in Fethiye, Turkey, that I first started seeing these three-wheeler vehicles

Here for cargo

Then in Peru I encountered them, and was told that they were imported from India

These were in Pisco, Peru

Taxis

I became quite fascinated with the way cargo and passengers are transported in these countries.  The range of options is seemingly infinite, with choices being totally appropriate to the task at hand--in many cases stretching the tool close to its limits

In the USA and other developed countries, the gradations are not nearly as fine

Let's start with no-wheel transport

Pretty basic

Add a couple of wheels, and start taxing the capacity

The basic bicycle is everywhere in India

Sumir peddles fish from his

Add a third wheel, and in this case hand pedals

Here, too

Garbage collection in Mamallapuram

Do you like your cargo in front?

Or in back?

In back makes it easier to enlist help

Check out these elegant carriages

Built for royalty, in the Land of the Small?

A Conestoga knock-off

An Indian version of a sound truck

A pretty basic 4-wheeler, with minimal steering capability

Cargo hauling, yes.

But a ready-made mobile market, also

Throughout Asia, motorbikes/motor scooters/motorcycles are ubiquitous

Commonly in the 100cc to 150cc range

But the real charmers are the 3-wheelers

Start with a pretty simple frame and body

and then introduce a seemingly endless variaty of superstructures

Here's the vanilla auto rickshaw

Useful for cargo as well as humans

Here's a slightly more spacious version of the basic auto rickshaw

This will prolly hold upwards of 50 people

Limit yet to be found

And then a micro bus

And in the grand Indian tradition, torture its capacity

My favorite cargo hauler is this articulating truck, again with the basic 3-wheeler cab and engine

And again, test its capacity

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