The Quintessential public transport

"PIAGGIO APE".......... we know this vehicle today as a commercial transport. But the original Piaggio ape is the great grandfather of our modern autorickshaw.

Devised by an engineer in Italy during the world war, the vehicle was made specifically for transporting goods at a very low cost and also navigate the narrow streets of Italian towns. They transported everything from vegetables to poultry. Today we proudly use it to transport people!!!

We embraced this vehicle into our lives for the very same reason it was invented for, to have low cost transportation. It served well for many years and now we find it hard to let go, change is not something everyone takes kindly. But in the modern society, does this vehicle carry the same importance, isn't it time to move on and by moving on I don't mean make newer versions of the same vehicle, as is the case in our cities now, but to move on to something better for our roads.

Some may argue about the cost factors, true the rickshaw is cheaper than any other transport vehicle (an autorickshaw costs 1 lac rupees on road), but by how much? If we can make a private car for a basic price of 1 lac rupees, is it that difficult to make a public one for the same price and maintain it for cheap.

Some may also argue that the vehicle is designed for weaving through traffic and reaching someplace on time. I tend to disagree on that. It may be very effective in weaving its way around, but it spoils the traffic conditions for the rest of us. Making specific lanes for the rickshaw is difficult, cause it is smaller than the standard car size. They can navigate through some spaces but can't navigate through some others creating more problems than solving. And as far as sharing lanes with the other vehicles goes, with the top speeds that these "apes" have, its gonna be pretty irritating.

The Italians who invented the "thing" don't use it in their cities and highways anymore, they have pushed it to their remote towns and villages. All I am saying is that its time for the "APE" to evolve into something more humane.