Mr Suchart, the tuk tuk driver who drove us around, with his tuk tuk
View from inside a tuk tuk with Mr Suchart at the wheel
Tuk Tuk and Samlor are motorized three-wheel pedicabs that are found in most cities and towns in Thailand. They are called "tuk tuk" after the sound that their engine makes. There is also the non-motorised version that are human powered. These are called "samlor", which is Thai for "three wheels". The samlor are really three-wheel bicycles while the tuk tuk are three-wheel motorcycles.
Tuk tuk / samlor ferry passengers all over town, and is a convenient way to move about. I love using it in Chiang Mai, although for Bangkok, I would recommend not using them (as the other forms of transport, such as taxi and Skytrain, is a better option). In Chiang Mai, however, taxis are scarce, so tuk tuk is a convenient and safe transport to move about. Between the tuk tuk and the samlor, it is naturally faster to use tuk tuk, as it is motorized. And mind you, it isn't cheaper to take the samlor.
Tuk tuk can only take two passengers at a time - for your safety and comfort, I would not recommend more than two passengers in them. If you are a larger group, consider taking the songthaew.
One noted difference between the tuk tuk/samlor and songthaew, apart from the size, is that you can usually hire the tuk tuk by hour as well as by day. That is what I did when I explore Chiang Mai. We came upon a tuk tuk driver by the roadside. He happened to be a retired English language teacher. So we hired him to take us around. His name is Mr Suchart, and he speaks quite good English. If you wish to get his services, call him at 081-882 5413 when you are in Chiang Mai.
If you are hiring tuk tuk for the whole day, expect to pay around 800 baht for a 8-9 hour day, or about 100 baht per hour. For single journeys, expect to pay minimum 30 baht or more, depending on how well you are at haggling. We find it well worth the while, as it allows us to cover greater distance than having to walk ourselves.
If you are getting your own tuk tuk driver, and he makes shopping suggestions, do not use him. You may end up being swindled in shops that pays commission to tuk tuk to bring customers.
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