The UK’s first motorised rickshaws, or ‘tuc tucs’, have hit the streets of Brighton and Hove, after gaining a Vehicle and Operator Services Agency licence.
Tuc Tuc Ltd launched the service as a ‘safe, economical and environmentally-friendly means of getting around,’ running on compressed natural gas and costing from £1.50 a trip. The vehicles were deemed to be buses rather than taxis by VOSA, so Brighton & Hove council was not involved in the licencing decision. Tuc Tuc plans to launch the service in London next year, and elsewhere in the UK in 2008.
A spokesman for the agency said it had no problems with the vehicles – which include seatbelts and strengthened overhead and side-impact protection – and welcomed them to the UK.