The Moto Taxis Of Urubamba

Urubamba is a decent sized but not that large of a city but it has a fleet of three wheel taxis that are half motorcycle and half pull cart, which are everywhere in the central district. I am guessing there must be around 500 of these things running the streets and they will pretty much take you everywhere for 1.50 to 2 Soles, or 60 to 75 cents. So it is a pretty good deal and a 30 minute walk can be cut to 7 or 8 minutes with one, but a lot of these guys are a bit crazy. It is a good thing their little two stroke motors won’t allow them to go all that fast, about as fast as a good clip on a bicycle.

I thought the drivers in South Africa were aggressive and dangerous but these guys make all other bad driver I have ever seen look great and it would be super scary for these guys to be plying the streets of Chicago in an old ½ ton Caprice Classic. In the one full week I have been in Urubamba I have seen them constantly pull out into intersections in front of one another and much larger cars and almost get t-boned, they drive on both sides of the road for no real apparent reason that I can tell other then they may be drunk. This is a very real possibility as I have seen several of them parked down the street from my house drinking beer together. They stop in the middle of the street, which is a bit crazy since the other taxis don’t really stop and I think it is not uncommon to get a love tap from behind when you do something like this. And when they are driving down the narrow streets of town, barely wide enough for two of these taxis to pass, they don’t stop at any intersection but just give a toot and barrel right through. It seems that there is an east/west method of travel and perhaps they have an understanding that you don’t blow through the intersection going north/south. But I’m not exactly convinced of that.

 

And pedestrians, forget it. They drive right at you, again for no real reason that I can tell other than perhaps they keep score on how many they hit and compare notes at the end of my street while drinking beer. I have literally seen them swerve right at pedestrians who were not even in their way. And since the sidewalks tend to only be 2 feet wide on the narrow streets, you have to walk in them and they will come by and almost clip you from behind if you are not careful. Most times they give a little toot with their horn to let you know they are coming but not always.

 

They like to dress their motor taxis up with crazy stickers and all sorts of flashing lights. It is not unlike the trucks in Pakistan and India. A couple of them look like rolling circuses at night with all the colored lights flashing on and off. Some of them also like to change up their tiny motorcycle horn to something much more powerful or goofy like a little song.

These things are a way of life in Urubamba and people here rely on them to get around town as most do not have a car or a motorcycle. I use them, as for 75 cents it is better than a half hour walk across town, but I do have to say I am giving serious consideration to renting a bicycle while I am here.