The high pitched engine squealed by my bike and threw up dust as I bounced along one of Peru’s dusty roads. Although I could feel the breeze of the vehicle as it went by and was still spitting dust, I couldn’t help but smile at the mototaxi in all it’s colorful glory.
Traveling in Peru you may come to hate or love the three wheeled devices. A take off of their tuk-tuk cousins in Thailand and auto-rickshaws of India, mototaxis began to appear in the jungle areas of Peru in the 1980’s arriving mostly from India.
Should you have been in Lima in the 1990s you would have seen the arrival of the three wheeled motorcycles on steroids. Soon after the transportation trend spread along the Pacific coast of Peru and throughout the country.
How do I pick a Mototaxi ?
There are two types of mototaxis in Peru. The converted motorcycle with open bench in the back provides for an airy and more adventurous ride.
The smaller mototaxis, called trimovils, with a completely closed in cabin, give an illusion of security, as the tiny vehicles jostle for position on harrowing roads. You are protected from the rain I will say that.
The hybrid found commonly in Peru is the covered in bench style mototaxi. As if they are in the midst of mototaxi mating season, the brilliant display of colors and designs left me on the mototaxi hunt. Kind of like bird watching only much noisier and dustier.
It is not uncommon to hear a mototaxi be referred to as a bajaj. In actuality Bajaj is one of the manufacturers of trimovils. No matter what they are called I can assure you staying out of their way while on foot or bike is a Peruvian travel tip you should remember.
Where can I find a mototaxi?
There are no set routes in Peru for mototaxis. In some towns you will see them congregated together in the main square awaiting fares and in some cases there are actual mototaxi stops called paraderos.
Your best bet is to flag a mototaxi down as you would a taxi, however trust me when I say do not stand too far out on the street. If the driver already has a passenger then consider yourself just a bump on the road on the way to a destination.
What does a mototaxi cost in Peru?
The price of a ride is variable and should always be negotiated prior to getting in the vehicle. Riding a few blocks may be one sole ( $.35) or across town five soles. With more people, luggage, dogs, cats and bicycles expect the price to go up.
Safety in a mototaxi
The nurse in me cringed looking at mototaxis weaving through traffic in Peru. There are no seatbelts so hang on to anything that looks secure.
Use your common sense. If a mototaxi looks like the wheel is about to fall off don’t get in. If the driver appears inebriated, don’t get in. In larger cities there are other options for public transport that would afford you more protection in a collision.
If you do decide to try a mototaxi in Peru I suggest you keep your arms and legs in and hope the driver doesn’t hit the foreign cyclist.
Have you seen mototaxis or their cousins in your travels?
Well, either you see it as an adventure, or something to be avoided at all costs…..the best sentence here is “at least you are protected from the rain” – I think it should probably read “at most, you are protected….”
Sue you are likely right that would be better wording! I think my bike was a safer ride. 🙂
I didn’t actually quote you correctly, but hey….
I give you creative license. 🙂
I am honoured… ☺️
This post of yours would be highly exhilarating , if it weren’t for the danger implied in such a vehicle ……
Your descriptions are always fantastic!
Yes I have to say they didn’t appear to be the safest mode of transport but I loved the color. I so appreciate your kind words. Thank you!
They are so cool and wonderfully decorated! When we toured New Zealand we saw these incredibly bizarre house trucks. They were so quirky and I just loved them! xx Rowena
Thanks so much Rowena. I have never heard of the NZ version. Sounds fascinating! Thanks for sharing.
Very interesting. Great colour selections! Thanks for taking on this very dangerous research project!!!
Phil it really did become a treasure hunt in looking for different mototaxis. I confess to often waving from my bike at Dave behind me to snap yet another one. Thanks so much for the comment which I appreciate a great deal. Delighted you enjoyed the post.
It looks like whichever form you choose, there would be quite the adventure attached to it. 🙂
You have got that right LuAnn. At least on a bike you are driving. 🙂
Fascinating, as ever! They do look like three-wheeled deathtraps, it’s true. On the other hand, the inside of a mototaxi is probably the only place the passenger’s eyes are shielded from the dazzling glare of that paintwork.
Good point! I should have added ‘bring your protective eye wear’! 🙂
These mototaxis look cool, but you are right about their safety features, or lack of them.
One of those things likely best admired from afar. 🙂
These mototaxis are pretty colorful and creative. Fun to look at them. 🙂
Thanks Amy. They were fun to be on the watch for.
OMG great info and advice. The whimsical me wants these colorful beasts to remain ever so – free wheeling and death defying at every corner and crossroads. At least you had your bike helmut ?
The jaundiced me knows that a decade from now, regulation (progress) will probably have stifled the very life from these entrepreneurial adventures – regulated fares, licenses, safety features … Yawn.
I’d have more trouble with the motor cacophony than the hold-on-for-dear-life angst.
I guess because you were biking, these colorful paint jobs make me think of the most colorful biking jerseys the (you) intrepids wear. Maybe that’s why they were gunning for you – thought you were the competition ?
Haha I love the competition idea. I was likely being paranoid of the colourful little three wheelers.
It is hard to know if such regulations will make their way to Peru. It would have been fun to interview some
drivers. Oh to be fluent in Spanish.
I know! I should listen to Spanish tapes while I’m sleeping because I never manage to commit to lessons.
We watched the sequel to Best Exotic Marigold Hotel tonight and I thought of you because those 3-wheelers were everywhere!! Not nearly as colorful as Peru’s but just as scary ?
That’s right! I watched that movie on the flight home. Not as colourful but definitely as dangerous. 🙂
They are so colourful, and yes, I’ve seen the same or similar in many countries. I’ve never been tempted to ride in one though. Sue, I have to say that you’re very brave to cycle on roads frequented by flying/ hurtling,careening Mototaxis. 😯 So glad you survived. 🙂
Sylvia as intrigued as I was with the colourful vehicles I had no desire to get in one. Funny to think I felt safer on my bike!
😆
Love the bright colors, but they really don’t look very safe. I wonder what the accident and death/injury statistics are for those things.
Oh that is a good question Donna Jean. The stats would be very interesting. I’m so happy to show these brightly coloured vehicles.
Just another exhilarating part of the adventure…. love the colorful décor. Glad you survived your travels via a Mototaxi 🙂
Ingrid I will admit I never climbed in one of these. As you can see we saw a lot of them and they zoomed by my bike frequently but I have my limits when it comes to danger. 🙂
They look ever so colourful – and a little frail. 😉
Yes Put in not sure they would do so well, let alone their passengers, in a fender bender.
Sue, we have tricycles in the Philippines. it is a motorcycle with a side car attached to it. and they’re very colorful, too, quite similar to mototaxis. 🙂
Thank you for letting me know Lola. The side car idea sounds very cool to me. 🙂
Love these and there is even room for your luggage!
Yes I think one could get quite a ‘carload’ in these colourful zoomers.
Gosh how did I miss those?? They are so cute (but dangerous looking!
Rebecca they did seem to be more frequently spotted in some areas of Peru.
Hmmm, I think I would be attempting to source another mode of transportation. Between the inebriation & the wheel possibly falling off, it sounds like walking might be a safer bet!
Or cycling Lynn! Yes I agree some other mode, Luke a bus or train would be a better bet.
Good grief!!! Colourful and eye-catchy but I don’t think I’d be brave enough to venture out in one!!
Stay on your bike Joanne. Although you come away with dusty teeth you actually come away! 🙂
… besides, if I really wanted to, I could jazz up my bike … maybe start a new trend. BWAHAHAHAHA … or not 😉
Let’s do it! Wait let’s save it for our wheelchair races in the home. 🙂
Sue! I loved the imagery of bird-watching, only noisier and dustier! These mototaxis are incredible! Such color and energy, I could almost hear them buzzing along the street from your photos! Another very interesting post that you share with us!
These Peruvian mototaxis remind me of the three-wheeled “ape” (pronounced a-pay) in Italy that are used primarily in rural areas to transport produce and supplies! The word “ape” means “bee” in Italian and I’d say the hum they make coming down the street, indeed resembles a buzzing bee!
Lia as you describe the Italian apes, so vividly I might add, I was digging through my memory bank. I almost think we saw some on one of our trips to Italy. Thanks so much for sharing!
So happy to share these colourful dust inducers. I loved finding them.
Indeed you probably saw them all around Italy 🙂 I Googled it after I wrote to you and they were called “bees” not only for the noise they make but because they work hard 🙂 They were also manufactured and used in India too 🙂
Have a super, colorful weekend!
Thanks for that information Lia. I will definitely have to look through our photos for ‘bees’. 🙂
You can’t really know a country until you’ve ridden in its wildest type of transportation. Those look a little like deformed cousins of the rickshaw though, with a small bed in the back. I assume the luggage went there?
Jeff I stayed firmly on my bike, which seemed like a safer mode of transport. Yes I think that back bench could hold luggage, people, dogs and you name it. 🙂
Sue, these vehicles look crazily exotic but exciting and adventurous…you have eye for such vintage or such sophisticated engagement with nature or automobile.
Have a lovely weekend.
😀
Nihar you are right that color catches my eye in all forms. Wishing you a wonderful weekend too!
The mototaxis are very colorful, very interesting. They are very useful. In Amsterdam also so many mototaxis, we call them ‘tuk-tuk’ Nice article and amazing mototaxis photos Sue. Wish you have a nice weekend.
Della Anna thank you for letting me know that the mototaxis are in Amsterdam too! Very best wishes to you too!
The more airy, the more adventurous. I love how you describe it. I suppose the ones with no shelter, you really have to hang on to the sides for dear life when you go round a sharp corner. From you post, it doesn’t sound like you and Dave got into one of the mototaxis? It certainly looks like a fun vehicle to ride, but sit in it too long I think you might get leg cramps 🙂
Mabel we stayed on our bikes actually. Perhaps if it had been a different kind of trip where we were walking a lot we would have climbed in. Agreed it looks cramped and I would definitely be hanging on for dear life!
A long time ago, I rode in similar (but not as way-cool streamlined and colorful as these) moto-taxis in the Philippines. I thought it was interesting that in a less-developed country, one could get door-to-door public transit. They were always good for a wild ride. Sometime, I’d love to have a chat with you about the worst rides you’ve had in your many travels. I have some great stories, too.
Bruce I would love to story swap for sure! I think adrenalin is available in large doses when having a ride in a mototaxis or their relatives. 🙂
I love your analogy to bird-watching – with those brilliant colours they do look like some exotic fowl! Or foul, as the case may be. Your comment, “If the driver appears inebriated, don’t get in” pretty much says it all…
Thanks Diane. It seems like an obvious thing but our brains were definitely not firing on all cylinders at high altitude. Thought I would add that just in case.
The mototaxis looks like a great deal of fun to try! Safety on the other hand… It looks like the owner have put a lot their pride into decorating their taxi. Love all those colours! They had something very similar in India, they called them rickshaw. It was fun to ride, but i definitely didn’t feel safe in the traffic in Mumbai in a rickshaw:)
That sounds like a blog post in the making..’My rickshaw ruckus in Mumbai” 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
Haha – that would be an awesome title! ?
I will be on the watch for it. 🙂
Bravery at its best/worst? I think I’d have to drive to feel safe! HA! But I love their bright colors! 🙂
Maybe you could see if a discount is available if you drive? 🙂
😆
I love that you took so many photos of these things. But you didn’t get in one? Is that what you’re saying? The best comparison I can come up with is the tri-shaws in Sumatra, which were powered by motorcycles, on the side usually, and many of the motorcycles were from the 1960’s or 1970’s–Triumphs and BSA’s. I wanted to buy one, and take it home (just the motorcycle) because it would have been worth it!
Since we were on our bikes we did not hop in or tie on to a mototaxi. I will say I felt like I practically ride in a de as they whizzed by my bike. 🙂 thanks so much for sharing the info on the tri-shaws. It would be fun to do a post on such vehicles around the world.
THAT would be a good post. All my photos of the tri-shaws are in 35 mm slides!
Hmmm…well that we may need help with. 🙂
Right. I found one shop, they did a real bad job of transferring to digital
Oh that’s too bad. You would think there might be a decent way to do it.
The paragraph about mating season is brilliant, Sue! 🙂 So much excitement you packed into one holiday! I’m feeling serene and relaxed by comparison 🙂 But I do have a hankering to go and hunt down a few of these beauties!
Jo I can always count on you to pick up those little laughs I throw in. Perhaps it was the animals in Galapagos that had me on that bright coloured mating business. 🙂
Hard to beat a Booby, Sue 🙂
Haha now if we had a blue-footed booby in a mototaxi. 🙂
Don’t know why you hadn’t thought of it sooner 🙂
I will have to bring a mototaxi to Peru as I think trying to nab a booby from Galapagos would be the harder option. 🙂
They look so fun and quirky! Reading it from here, I find myself thinking – I would NEVER get in one of those, but actually I think if I was actually there, I might, sometimes things seem more risky from a distance. I wouldn’t with kids, but if it was just me and the Neil, I could see us going for it. I haven’t done the food quiz yet! I think I still have a few more days right?
You have a few more days Vanessa. The post will go up Friday morning. 🙂
As far as riding in a mototaxi in thinking that there might be safer methods of family travel.
These are so cool! I am sad to say that the old three wheeled tuk-tuks here in Thailand are slowly being replaced by mini-trucks. I love the crazy adrenaline rush of the old ones. I will definitely have to try these when we visit Peru.
I best get to Thailand sooner rather than later to see the famed tuk-tuk! Mini trucks don’t seem to have the same ambience. 🙂
They really don’t, though the fear factor is pretty similar 🙂
Fear factor is likely a very good term to describe it!
We call them tricycles in the Philippines but they are not as luxurious looking as the mototaxis of Peru. The mototaxis would be the Cadillac version. They have covers over your head but not as enclosed and then the models go downhill from there.
Thanks so much for sharing! As I have mentioned to others it would be such fun to do a post with photos of these modes of transport.
Love the colours and personality of the mototaxi but I can only imagine the adrenaline of the ride. We took a taxi in Egypt and still remembers hen earn ofmthe xperience.ca i new if we were only on a mototaxi.
I have to admit we stayed on our bikes and were content with collecting photos of the mototaxis. Thanks for sharing!
😀 that’s really nice design – like it very much, and I like the name – mototaxis 😀 Impressive that this type of auto-rickshaw exist around the world. I saw similar auto-rickshaw in majority countries I have visited, well, for sure except in Belize’s Ambergris Caye as they use golf cart 😀 😀
In Jakarta, the auto rickshaw is called as Bajaj (name from India) and the nice thing is, they are better than most public transport in Jakarta. Bajaj use environmental friendly natural-gas, and for Bajaj that use electric being called as Batik (Bajaj-Electric 😀 )
Indah thank you so much for sharing ! We are getting quite a collection of vehicles from around the world here in the comments section. Wishing you a great week!
OMG! 😀 Hehehe, cool, Sue! ?
I really enjoyed learning about the mototaxis, Sue. Even though I’ve visited Peru, I don’t recall ever seeing one, so I’m happy to be enlightened. Loved seeing all the different designs and colors; and really enjoyed your comprehensive review. 😀
As I understand it Jet there are more and more mototaxis as the years progress. I was often heard or seen waving at Dave while we were cycling to take a photo of the colorful vehicles whizzing by.
I love them…. Do they go fast? [ I doubt it!] /// ? ? – All the best to you, dear Sue. Aquileana :star:
Aquileana I did not actually ride in one by as they whizzed by my bicycle they seemed quite fast. 🙂
“Mototaxi mating season”- haha! They are quite colorful. I would have a hard time picking which one I wanted to ride in. I suspect that one ride would be enough and afterwords I would (wisely) settle for photos like you did. 🙂
Such clever marketing or mating or something like that. I would have chosen the batman one but thankfully my bike kept me on the outside. 🙂
I don’t remember these. How do I not remember seeing these??
As I understand it they are growing in numbers over the past 15 years and are not everywhere in Peru.
they look like the jeepnays..in Philippines or India. Interesting blog post!
Thanks Jean. I appreciate you sharing. I have not heard that term before.
I guess they’re affordable transportation for the locals but yikes these look a scary way to get around…but cycling in the midst of them sounds pretty hair raising too!
Yes we saw a lot of the locals using them. Overall i felt pretty safe on my bike with them. A couple of incidents where I had one on either side of me. Not sure how I managed that!
I feel like I will have to dare myself to go in one next spring (Peru trip then!) – looks fun yet nerve-wracking!
Oh How exciting that you are going to Peru! Where will you be traveling?
Yeah! So excited. We are going for 5 weeks. The plan so far is Lima-Cusco, Lake Titicaca-Arequipa-make our way north to Chiclayo-Cajamarca-Iquitos-Lima
Sounds like a fabulous itinerary!