Introducing a third wheeled option

Photo by: 3P Photography

Today I found myself in a busy crowd of blurry beings, rushing to get to their destinations on time. As I tried to steer my sense of direction, a stripe of checked black-and-white wheeled past us all, almost tripling our speed. Stopping to catch my breath, my spot lights fell onto a bright yellow bug-like shell labelled TuksiCab.

On a rare occasion you might just spot the newly welcomed vehicle buzzing around campus. Originally designed in India, these three-wheeled motorised tricycles have made their way into the small town of Grahamstown, offering a cheap, convenient method of transport for students and locals. With affordable prices of R10 per person, the opportunity to get to your destination on time couldn’t get any easier.

Students requesting transport for those long tiring walks, stuck in thundering rain storms, scorching hot rays or are feeling a bit tipsy after a good night out, now have the opportunity to try something new. All you have to do is keep a look out for this speedy yellowed hero to make sure you’re safely tucked in to where you need to be.

“We are the first fully legal tuk-tuk company in the Eastern Cape” said current owner, Paul Greenway.

Like the front wheel to a tricycle, TuksiCab’s goal is to lead a safe easy way for any member of Grahamstown to travel. Even though this is a small town, the wide set buildings from central campus make it difficult for post grads, oppidans and anyone who needs to get to their destination on time. Once load shedding hits the switch, getting home is also becoming a major risk in terms of safety.

“One time, I was walking down Somerset by myself quite late at night - the gentleman that drives the tuk-tuk stopped and gave me a lift, free of charge so that I'd be safe. Absolute gem!” explained Abi Butcher, a debating coach at St Andrew’s.

With endless practical benefits of travelling in a tuk-tuk, these low maintenance vehicles not only offer a great experience with friendly and reliable service but have a positive impact on the environment. Carrying a load only takes up to 30-32 kilo’s to a litre, so as far as being economical and environmentally friendly, they are extremely beneficial.

“There’s so many good things about it, I mean, environmentally they are awesome, you don’t have to worry about parking, you can avoid traffic jams and drive around pot holes easily without swerving all over the road” said Greenway.

Positive experiences and reviews are speeding fast amongst students and the local Grahamstonians seem to love this new form of hopping their way around. According to Greenway, locals are even using TuksiCab’s to run errands while some use the service to drop their kids off at school on miserable rainy days.

“They are the best. So much fun and are actually quite speedy-well faster than walking” explained Nicole Le Grange, a post grad from Rhodes.

Ensuring that the three paralleled seats behind are filled every day of the week from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm and on weekends except for Sunday, these hop on-hop off short distanced taxi rides are just a phone call away. You can flag down the driver on duty by dialling 060 815 8417 or visiting their website: www.tuksicabs.co.za and Facebook page: TuksiCab, for more details.

“We will be always be running, even when the students aren’t here, we are not going anywhere.”- said Greenway.

Photo by: 3P Photography