The
Thai word 'samlor' literally translates to 'three-wheel' and is the
term used to describe the
tricycle taxis that are in common use throughout the country (bar
Bangkok where they are banned). It is said that the first samlor was used in
Thailand in
Korat Province in 1933 when a
Chinese merchant added an
extra wheel to a traditional bicycle and presented the hybrid
vehicle to the then
monarch King Rama V. As soon as people saw the new
invention they realised that the samlor was a viable alternative to the
rickshaw, whilst being cheaper to run than the
horse drawn carriages used by the
rich, and the vehicles have been in constant use since.
The samlor driver sits astride a bicycle, while the passengers (often several at a time) sat behind under a collapsible canvas roof supported by the other two wheels of the trike. The entire contraption could be fitted with a plastic sheet across the front and extra side panels to keep the occupants dry during the (all too common) rainstorms. Samlor drivers are just as lethal as the infamous tuk tuk drivers despite the salors slower speed, with them showing the same tendancy to cycle the wrong way up the fast lane of dual carriages (this actually happened to my girlfriend and I in Kanchanaburi, not an experience I'd want to have again).