Tuktuk: A small vehicle with massive problems, invading the streets of Iraq

Shafaq News / Taxi drivers and others have renewed their complaints about the impact of tuktuks (auto-rickshaws) on their work, claiming that they cause numerous traffic accidents due to the failure of their drivers, mostly young people, to follow traffic rules.

The tuktuk is a three-wheeled motorcycle with a seat behind the driver that can accommodate two or three people. It became a popular mode of transportation in congested areas and streets, and housewives prefer it when shopping because it can transport their purchases at a much lower cost than a taxi. Its price ranges from three to four million dinars.

Tuktuk drivers, the vehicle that invaded Iraq and became a manifestation of the new street, on the other hand, complain that their work is not organized by the government and that they are always criticized and insulted by traffic officers, security forces, and citizens.

Shafaq News agency’s correspondent toured the streets of Baghdad's largest commercial center, popularly known as the Old Baghdad areas, and surveyed taxi and tuktuk drivers.

Tuktuk drivers, according to taxi drivers and citizens, cause chaos in Baghdad's streets by driving on the wrong side, particularly in the areas of al-Shorja, al-Nahdha, and al-Sadriye, which are considered the largest commercial centers in Baghdad and Iraq in general, the streets of which are jammed all day long.

The most common complaint among taxi drivers, citizens, traffic officers, and security forces is that tuktuk drivers do not follow traffic rules.

Furthermore, taxi drivers claimed that the tuktuk, which has become the preferred mode of transportation for shoppers and others in congested street areas, has harmed their livelihood.

They justified their wrong-side driving by citing heavy traffic and their will to get the passengers to their destinations as soon as possible, noting that tuktuks are their sole source of income for supporting their families.

They also called on the government to organize their work, treat them like cars and motorcycles owners, and not prohibit them from driving on some streets of the capital.

"Sometimes we are beaten, humiliated, and treated with contempt," one of them told Shafaq News Agency's correspondent, "The government imported the tuktuk, so why should we bear the guilt?"