Tuk-tuk to ride? Asian rickshaws try to make inroads in US

They’re everywhere in Asia, swarming the bustling streets of Bangkok, New Delhi and Beijing.

Now, a company that manufactures the tuk-tuk – the three-wheeled motorized rickshaws that have moved the masses for more than half a century – aims to make inroads in the United States.

The Tuk Tuk Factory, based in Amsterdam, has signed a licensing agreement with Denver-based eTuk USA to allow the company to manufacture and sell an electric version of the vehicle. The company’s founders hope their eco-friendly version of the vehicles, a far cry from the loud, pollution-spewing versions common in Asia and South America, will become the next hip mode of transportation for urban dwellers and tourists across the country.

It’s too soon to know if Americans will embrace tuk-tuks, but Michael Fox, director of sales and marketing for eTuk USA, says the company has been selling the vehicles across the country to individuals, marketing companies and food vendors for $16,950 to $25,000, depending on how they are customized.

The three partners’ other company, eTuk Denver, launched a call-and-demand shuttle service in downtown Denver after receiving approval from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which regulates for-hire transportation services.

The service is the latest entrant into an increasingly crowded field of transportation options that includes pedicabs, car-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft and golf-cart taxis.

Fox figures the tuk-tuk’s open-air design will help it stand out.

But like car-sharing services, the tuk-tuk has faced some pushback from a handful of cab companies and other shuttle operators – and raised concerns about the vehicles’ safety.

Terry Bote, a commission spokesman, said several cab and shuttle companies were successful in restricting where the tuk-tuks can operate, what types and how many vehicles can be used and how many passengers each vehicle can carry.

The tuk-tuks operate mostly in a restricted downtown area – and are banned from providing scheduled service to the nearby Broncos football stadium, a lucrative destination for the competition.