zen and the art of motocys

AUG 16 - Time is money. And if you’re in Bangkok, you may actually be able to buy some time for a little money. I’m referring here to the infamous ‘motocys’ or motorcycle taxis that are practically omnipresent in the Thai capital—swift, terrifying, and undeniably efficient, these comprise an inextricable part of the city’s character. And in a place that suffers some of the worst traffic gridlocks seen anywhere in the world, where taking a cab could mean driving a hole into your pocket, and where three-wheeled tuk-tuks can be suffocating on their best day, these repurposed motorcycles offer a unique and very effective solution to the commuting problem. Anytime you’re out and about in Bangkok, and looking for a quick ride from point A to B, you need only scout the street corners to find these bikes, the riders distinct in their coloured shirts. Hop on and prepare yourself for something reminiscent of an action movie stunt sequence, a zigzag zip through the smallest of crevices in standstill traffic, up and down pavements, and through the narrow ‘sois’ or side streets that vein the city. The faint of heart best stay away. It is tempting to believe these taxis operate somewhere outside of the realm of normal traffic rules; their only objective—getting you where you need to be, and fast. The Evolution The motocy taxi evolved as a natural by-product of the seemingly impenetrable traffic logjams that were ailing Bangkok. With a steady average economic growth rate of around five percent, and comprising a population of around 10 million plus economically-active citizens, the city is one of East Asia’s busiest business hubs. Of course, infrastructure is constantly expanding to accommodate the needs of the people here—in the past decade, for instance, huge investments have been made in the city’s transport sector: elevated and tolled motorways, elevated sky and metro trains, the underground metro, multi-lane highways and massive crossovers, these have all flourished speedily. Apart from which, there are already previously established secondary roads and the enormous coverage of the old-style State Railway of Thailand to boot. All these efforts, however, have not been enough to ease the pressure on Bangkok’s roads, and commuting continues to be an ever-present hassle for its people. At the end of 2012, Bangkok had 6.8 million registered vehicles, with the result that traffic would come to a standstill, streets completely clogged, at peak hours. The handy motocy was born as a means of navigating in and around the incessant congestion. But that wasn’t the only contributor factor, there were socio-cultural forces at play too in fuelling its emergence and popularity. The Norm Not all countries would be as welcoming of motorcycle taxis as the solution to traffic problems; it all depends on how that particular culture conceptualises the act of bike riding. After all, the fact that motorcycles are time-saving does not necessarily guarantee their success everywhere in the world. It has to be backed by a motorbike-friendly norm as well. In India, for instance, or Pakistan, it might seem unorthodox for a woman to hitch a lift on a stranger’s bike, but in busy Thai society, especially given the relatively modern bent of the fast-paced and metropolitan Bangkok, this was never an issue. In fact, many motorcycle taxi drivers say they get more women passengers than they do men. “They seem to prefer the comfort of riding alone to crowded buses,” said Hlek, who drives a two-wheel taxi in Phaya Thai in the city. It is thus mainly thanks to Bangkok’s bike-friendly culture that the motocy taxi business has been able to persist in the way that it has. The Pitfalls Despite its popularity with the residents of Bangkok, the motocys comprise something of a nuisance for modern Bangkok urban planners, mostly with regards to safety issues. Pillion riders are at high risk, since most don’t wear safety helmets. In fact, according to the country’s leading English-language paper, The Nation, most road fatalities here involve motorcycle drivers and passengers who do not wear helmets. You can certainly ask for one when you get on a motocy taxi, but all you’ll get is a worn out bucket-cut helmet with no straps, and the way these tend to smell, not too many pillion riders are eager to plunk them on. Besides, the authorities are lenient on the helmet rule anyway, as they are about the number of people allowed on a single two-wheeler—sometimes whole families will be balanced precariously on one bike, and the traffic police still won’t blink an eye.

There have been quite a few attempts to ban these two-wheel taxis, but little by way of implementation, and they’ve continued to grow in number: The industry is now believed to employ over a hundred thousand riders, and given the number of people they serve, it’s not likely that bans will be easily enforced. In July 2005, for instance, the metropolitan authority had declared one such ban, resulting in a huge outcry against the move. Hundreds of orange and blue-shirted bikers had taken to the streets in protest—Thai politics is always about coloured shirts, after all—and the ban was soon lifted. The Policing Of late, the Bangkok traffic authority appears to have finally woken up to the motocycle taxi issue in earnest. The government has now finally jumped in to regulate the business, in the hopes of bringing about standards that will serve to make riding a motorcycle taxi safer and better regulated. Licenses will be checked, distinctive uniforms must be donned, and pillion riders absolutely must wear helmets. The bikes will have designated waiting spots and fixed rates, and they will be allowed to operate only in certain areas. Recently, the Metropolitan Police Bureau also launched a special road safety programme advocating more safety measures for motocy taxis. As part of the campaign, they’d handed over some 500,000 units of inner padding for helmets to motorcycle drivers and passengers in Bangkok to boost road safety. The root of the popularity of these two-wheel taxis is fairly obvious—they save time, space and energy. They consume less fuel, offer an easy form of public transport and generate substantial employment without much investment. If regulated properly, and safety measures put in place the way several European and Latin American countries have been able to do, these taxis could be an environment-friendly business model to replicate in other Asian cities with heavy traffic congestion. Already, in Jakarta, a 26-year old Harvard Business Scholar called Nadiem Makarim has already imported the idea; known as Go-Jek in the local language, the industry employs thousands who are mobilised through a software-automated networking system linking customers and drivers. So, shall we give it a try, too?

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