Motocaros - the crazy three wheeled taxis of Iquitos
02/07/08 19:21 Filed in: Peru
I was talking to a friend this week about the main
mode of transport in Iquitos, Peru, the Motocaro. It
is hard to get over in words what they're like and
the effect they have in the town. They're basically a
rickshaw powered by a motorbike, the normal motorbike
wheel at the front and two wheels at the back, with a
bench seat and canopy for the paying passengers.
They mostly drive like maniacs and it all gets
very exciting when whizzing along at night at high
speed through a tropical storm.
In the main streets they're like a swarm of very loud manic bees as unfortunately they have all got it into their head that their rigs go faster without the baffles in the silencer! There's a running bureaucratic battle between them and the local major and the police who want to force them to put the baffles back in as the noise pollution has become too much even for the locals, who love to listen to their music cranked up to number 11. Unfortunately every time the police impound a Motocaro due to noise pollution, the town has an instant strike on their hands, and so the Mayor backs off.
There's apparently over 30,000 of the things in
Iquitos with a population of around 500,000.
A few things in their favour is they are cheap, around 2 Soles maximum, (about 45 cents Euro or 70 cents in US currency), to travel most anywhere in the town and because of their great numbers you never have to wait more than a few seconds for one no matter where you are in the town! A great peoples taxi. Now only if they would put the baffles back in then it would be the perfect taxi.
B.
In the main streets they're like a swarm of very loud manic bees as unfortunately they have all got it into their head that their rigs go faster without the baffles in the silencer! There's a running bureaucratic battle between them and the local major and the police who want to force them to put the baffles back in as the noise pollution has become too much even for the locals, who love to listen to their music cranked up to number 11. Unfortunately every time the police impound a Motocaro due to noise pollution, the town has an instant strike on their hands, and so the Mayor backs off.
A few things in their favour is they are cheap, around 2 Soles maximum, (about 45 cents Euro or 70 cents in US currency), to travel most anywhere in the town and because of their great numbers you never have to wait more than a few seconds for one no matter where you are in the town! A great peoples taxi. Now only if they would put the baffles back in then it would be the perfect taxi.
B.