环球英语 — 103： Local Transport
Voice 1
Hello. I’m Rachel Hobson.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby Jones. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
“Taxi!”
Voice 1
The car stops. A sign on top of it reads ‘Taxi’. A woman asks the driver how much it costs to go to the airport. He tells her and she agrees to the price. She gets in the car. And they leave. In many cities it is too costly to own a car. So people use trains, buses and taxis.
Voice 2
In today’s Spotlight we look at local transport around the world. Travel is a necessary part of life. We all have places we need to go. But often our local customs and needs decide what our transport looks like.
Voice 1
New York is famous for its yellow taxis. London is famous for its black taxis. But the Philippines has a very special form of transport - the jeepney. The first jeepneys were made from jeeps. These jeeps were US military vehicles. The US army used them in World War Two. After the war, many jeeps remained in the Philippines. Jeeps were very strong. They were built to drive in difficult conditions. People could drive them on damaged roads, mountain roads, and forest roads. Jeeps were open-topped vehicles. Only a piece of cloth protected the people in the jeep from the weather.
Voice 2
Some local people decided to use these old jeeps. They changed the jeeps into a kind of taxi. They wanted to carry as many passengers as possible. So they made the jeeps longer and removed any parts that were not needed. Then they added a metal top. This protected the passengers from the sun and rain. The people called these vehicles ‘jeepneys’. The price to ride in a jeepney was very low.
Jeepney drivers do not always start a trip if the vehicle is not full. Sometimes the first passenger waits for a long time for more passengers to come. However, a passenger could pay for the empty seats. Then the driver would leave immediately. People can also stand on the side of the road and wave at a passing jeepney. The driver stops for people if he has any space.
Voice 1
Over the years the owners of the jeepneys have changed the look of their vehicles. They have painted them bright colours. They have added small objects to the front of each jeepney - objects such as lights, mirrors, and models of horses. And drivers have put pictures and poems in the vehicles. Each jeepney looks different.
Voice 2
Today the jeepneys are also bigger. Local factories and businesses make jeepneys from Japanese truck parts and local materials. Now, many of them are almost as large as buses. Owners give the vehicles names like ‘Wonderful’, ‘Good Luck’, and ‘Lovely’. The Filipino government has made drivers set fixed prices for rides. They must also put signs in the windows. These signs tell where they go. Jeepneys are very popular for short trips. Sometimes there are no empty seats. So people stand on the sides and the backs of the jeepneys. People even sit on top of them. Filipinos crowd together in their brightly coloured jeepneys.
Voice 1
In Thailand, the people crowd into tuk-tuks. Thousands of tuk-tuks are on the roads every day. They are three-wheeled vehicles - smaller than cars. They are perfect for the narrow roads in cities. During heavy traffic they can move people around quicker than cars can. People call these vehicles tuk-tuks because of the engine sound. There is enough space for three people to sit in them. But more passengers may try to fit in. The tuk-tuk’s open sides make it easy for passengers to get in and out. But the passengers have no protection from breathing in the smoke and gases from surrounding cars.
Passengers must negotiate a price with the driver before the tuk-tuk ride. Some people like to negotiate. They are happy if they get a good price. But visitors to Thailand often find negotiation difficult. They may get a bad price. The tuk-tuk ride should cost about the same as a taxi ride.
For years tuk-tuks were very popular. But now local people have found other ways to travel around cities in Thailand. It is usually visitors from other countries that want to ride in the tuk-tuks.
Voice 1
One of the most costly taxis in the world is the water-taxi in Venice, Italy. Venice is built on many small islands. There are more than one hundred of these islands, and there are waterways everywhere. The streets are narrow and there are no cars. So people mostly walk or travel on boats. The water-taxis are the fastest and most enjoyable way to ride around the waterways. But most local people cannot pay the price for the ride. They use water-buses instead. The cost to ride on these boats is reasonable.
Vaporetti is the Italian word for the most common kind of water-bus in Venice. These boats take passengers to busy places in the city. They often stop to let passengers get on and off. This slow method of transport is perfect for this beautiful city. People are able to see Venice and be on the water at the same time.
Voice 1
In Kampala, Uganda speed is everything. One of the fastest taxis in the world is the boda-boda in Kampala. This kind of taxi provides a fun ride around the town. Passengers do not have to wait in traffic. Some boda-boda drivers even drive on the sides of the roads and between cars. Boda-bodas became popular in the nineteen-sixties [1960s]. At that time it was difficult to find transport across the border between Uganda and Kenya. People paid men to take them across the border on two-wheeled bicycles. This is how they got the name boda-boda - from border. Now, boda-bodas have engines. So these new boda-bodas are motorcycles.
However, criminals have been attacking boda boda drivers and their passengers. The criminals want to steal the motorcycles. Sometimes boda boda drivers died in these attacks. For these reasons the Ugandan government banned boda-bodas from travelling after eleven o’clock at night. But some drivers still drive them illegally. They turn off their lights and continue to make trips. The government in Uganda is talking about banning boda-bodas completely. The drivers hope this does not happen. Boda-bodas are part of their way of life.
Voice 2
Jeepneys! Tuk-tuks! Vaporetti! Boda-Bodas! These forms of transport have been shaped by where they are. Maybe you have an example where you live? You can e-mail and tell us at ‘radio @ english . net’.
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