10 of the world’s quirkiest forms of public transport
October 25, 2023 7:51 PM Subscribe
10 of the world’s quirkiest forms of public transport. As the Philippines phases out its distinctive jeepney, we look at the more unusual ways travellers can get from A to B.
Okay, that tobaggian ride down the streets of Madeira needs a video.
posted by eye of newt at 9:13 PM on October 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by eye of newt at 9:13 PM on October 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
Oof, it's really the end of an era! Feels like half the tourist tchotchkes you can buy in the Philippines have a jeepney on them.
posted by potrzebie at 9:35 PM on October 25, 2023
posted by potrzebie at 9:35 PM on October 25, 2023
This feels like eponysterical bait and I love it
posted by Cogito at 9:45 PM on October 25, 2023 [15 favorites]
posted by Cogito at 9:45 PM on October 25, 2023 [15 favorites]
Both Vancouver and Victoria BC, Canada have these little water taxis, and they're *adorable*
posted by Popular Ethics at 9:49 PM on October 25, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Popular Ethics at 9:49 PM on October 25, 2023 [6 favorites]
I'm super disappointed that they featured the Wuhan suspended monorail instead of the Wuppertal version that preceded it by 120 years.
Wim Wenders' documentary Pina takes place in Wuppertal, and features the suspended railway. It's so beautiful that I have the city on my bucket list.
posted by intermod at 9:53 PM on October 25, 2023 [14 favorites]
Wim Wenders' documentary Pina takes place in Wuppertal, and features the suspended railway. It's so beautiful that I have the city on my bucket list.
posted by intermod at 9:53 PM on October 25, 2023 [14 favorites]
I feel the Tim Traveller YouTube channel should get a mention here. (Links to a video about an overhead electrified ferry).
posted by poxandplague at 10:30 PM on October 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by poxandplague at 10:30 PM on October 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
Quirky transport is also one of Tom Scott's many niches: shortest flight, horizontal elevator, diving gondola, tiny railroad, turntable ferry, useful monorail, manual cablecar, pedal monorail, tiny cars, reaction ferries, golf carts, home cablecars, bus train, pod cars, commercial hovercraft, and previously mentioned suspended monorail and street toboggans.
The word of the day is gadgetbahn, usually used derisively but I find them all delightful. I love my own hometown retrofuturistic monorail, useless as it is. Can't say I miss the duck tours though.
posted by davidest at 10:40 PM on October 25, 2023 [14 favorites]
The word of the day is gadgetbahn, usually used derisively but I find them all delightful. I love my own hometown retrofuturistic monorail, useless as it is. Can't say I miss the duck tours though.
posted by davidest at 10:40 PM on October 25, 2023 [14 favorites]
Man, the jeepney is such a big part of Filipino identity, it will be very hard to let that go culturally. I know they keep saying that they are relics from WWII and converted once the war was over and the US finally left us alone. Maybe they started out as such, but there the ones on the road these days are newer and purpose-built to be a jeepney for transportation. One of the most well-known manufacturers when I was growing up was Sarao Motors.
They are not all clunkers held together by paint and determination, either. I've been in relatively swanky jeeps: they have mirrored ceilings and lights for a disco vibe, or tufted and padded ceilings so when you bump your head it's not quite so painful, sliding acrylic windows to keep the rain out (or even tinted to keep the harsh sun off of you!), a garbage bin near the front, behind the driver's bench seat, or maybe even a buzzer button to indicate when you want to get off. Because you may be too shy to yell out, "Manong, para po!" (Sir, stop please.)
A jeep will always claim to fit X number of people, but when you look at the seats and the average width of a Filipino adult, it can clearly only fit X-2. Dispatchers at the terminal will shout out the particular jeep's final destination and how many seats are available. "Just three more, and those one's ready to depart!" If you're the last two people to get on, be prepared to have core and quads workout, as you may as well be hovering your butt over the seat. There are no defined seat markers on a jeep, it's just two long benches facing each other, so you cannot tell people to move over and stay within their own space. Dispatchers will remind you: "Upong bente singko lang!" This means: Sit as if you only paid 25 centavos for your fare - because if you only paid a minimal amount, then you also get just very little space for your butt. Fares are waaaaaay beyond 25 centavos these days so I wonder what they say now?
One other thing unique to jeepneys, is you have to pass the fare through several different people to get it to the driver, and then if you are expecting change, they have to pass it all the way back to you. If it's early in the day and you have big bills, the driver may not have enough change yet, and may ask the other passengers to break the bill for them. And if you're the only passenger, well you'll just have to scoot your butt up and down the bench. If you are wearing a skirt, this is particularly tricky. Or shorts in the summer months - your skin will tend to stick to the plasticky seat material. Ouch!
posted by tinydancer at 11:57 PM on October 25, 2023 [14 favorites]
They are not all clunkers held together by paint and determination, either. I've been in relatively swanky jeeps: they have mirrored ceilings and lights for a disco vibe, or tufted and padded ceilings so when you bump your head it's not quite so painful, sliding acrylic windows to keep the rain out (or even tinted to keep the harsh sun off of you!), a garbage bin near the front, behind the driver's bench seat, or maybe even a buzzer button to indicate when you want to get off. Because you may be too shy to yell out, "Manong, para po!" (Sir, stop please.)
A jeep will always claim to fit X number of people, but when you look at the seats and the average width of a Filipino adult, it can clearly only fit X-2. Dispatchers at the terminal will shout out the particular jeep's final destination and how many seats are available. "Just three more, and those one's ready to depart!" If you're the last two people to get on, be prepared to have core and quads workout, as you may as well be hovering your butt over the seat. There are no defined seat markers on a jeep, it's just two long benches facing each other, so you cannot tell people to move over and stay within their own space. Dispatchers will remind you: "Upong bente singko lang!" This means: Sit as if you only paid 25 centavos for your fare - because if you only paid a minimal amount, then you also get just very little space for your butt. Fares are waaaaaay beyond 25 centavos these days so I wonder what they say now?
One other thing unique to jeepneys, is you have to pass the fare through several different people to get it to the driver, and then if you are expecting change, they have to pass it all the way back to you. If it's early in the day and you have big bills, the driver may not have enough change yet, and may ask the other passengers to break the bill for them. And if you're the only passenger, well you'll just have to scoot your butt up and down the bench. If you are wearing a skirt, this is particularly tricky. Or shorts in the summer months - your skin will tend to stick to the plasticky seat material. Ouch!
posted by tinydancer at 11:57 PM on October 25, 2023 [14 favorites]
I'm partial to urban funiculars, like these in Lisbon.
Also, I live in the Netherlands and have never seen an amphibious bus here. It is certainly not common or used by locals. We do have water taxis though and those things move fast!
posted by vacapinta at 2:48 AM on October 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Also, I live in the Netherlands and have never seen an amphibious bus here. It is certainly not common or used by locals. We do have water taxis though and those things move fast!
posted by vacapinta at 2:48 AM on October 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Los Ascensores de Valparaiso
The port city Valparaiso in Chile has these public elevators, holds 15-30 people and chugs up the hill on large chain and cog system, probably steam driven originally. Really cool, quite old but built sturdy.
posted by sammyo at 3:03 AM on October 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
The port city Valparaiso in Chile has these public elevators, holds 15-30 people and chugs up the hill on large chain and cog system, probably steam driven originally. Really cool, quite old but built sturdy.
posted by sammyo at 3:03 AM on October 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
If you're ever in Shanghai, I highly recommend a ride on the maglev train. Its non-airport terminus is not in a convenient location, but at 431 km/h the trip from the airport to "town" takes just over 7 minutes. It is quite an experience to travel at that speed at ground level.
posted by fairmettle at 3:03 AM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by fairmettle at 3:03 AM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
My mother grew up in Mt. Washington, PA, which is on a bluff overlooking downtown Pittsburgh. Travel to the city meant riding an incline—which if you’ve never done it is a pretty cool conveyance. Still essential for many commuters.
posted by kinnakeet at 3:32 AM on October 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by kinnakeet at 3:32 AM on October 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
I lived in Melaka for a couple years, and those trishaws aren't transportation. Tourists pay the drivers to take them in a loop around the old town and take pictures. It's not like they offer a point to point service or anything.
posted by Literaryhero at 3:42 AM on October 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Literaryhero at 3:42 AM on October 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Article didn't mention Metrocable in Medellín, Colombia. When I was there a couple of years ago, people seemed to be pretty proud of it.
posted by gimonca at 5:21 AM on October 26, 2023
posted by gimonca at 5:21 AM on October 26, 2023
Yeah I liked this list, and thanks to the poster for sharing. I wish it were more Mt Washington Inclines and fewer amphibious sightseeing tour buses.
posted by notyou at 5:23 AM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by notyou at 5:23 AM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Pittsburgh inclines are cool, but they were a little unsettling for non-locals. The bottom station was completely unattended. We sat around not even knowing if the thing was operating before the bell finally rang and the doors automatically closed. And then we got to the top and there was an exit fare. Fortunately the guy who staffed that station was cool (he probably sees a lot of tourists) and after paying he gave us a bunch of paper transfers for the trip back down.
The exit fare really rattled me because I had already encountered one at Station Square where the ticket agent was much less considerate. There weren't any signs or faregates at the platform exit. We got off the trolley and started walking down this wide open ramp when someone in a not at all obvious ticket booth yelled at us that we needed to pay.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:31 AM on October 26, 2023
The exit fare really rattled me because I had already encountered one at Station Square where the ticket agent was much less considerate. There weren't any signs or faregates at the platform exit. We got off the trolley and started walking down this wide open ramp when someone in a not at all obvious ticket booth yelled at us that we needed to pay.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:31 AM on October 26, 2023
when someone in a not at all obvious ticket booth
Note to self: Build small, transportable ticket booth, set it up near exit of public transportation, yell at people for not paying the exit tax. Step 3: profit!
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:34 AM on October 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
Note to self: Build small, transportable ticket booth, set it up near exit of public transportation, yell at people for not paying the exit tax. Step 3: profit!
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:34 AM on October 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
Decorated beachfront rickshaws in Durban, South Africa.
posted by HeroZero at 7:52 AM on October 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by HeroZero at 7:52 AM on October 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
People collecting money from drivers for parking they don't own is a thing though it can get you shot in the US. Though the Bristol zoo story isn't.
posted by Mitheral at 8:47 AM on October 26, 2023
posted by Mitheral at 8:47 AM on October 26, 2023
Route taxis in La Habana <3
posted by toodleydoodley at 9:47 AM on October 26, 2023
posted by toodleydoodley at 9:47 AM on October 26, 2023
As for me, I would love a chariot pulled by cassowaries.
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 9:49 AM on October 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 9:49 AM on October 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
Was looking for the Shanghai maglev, was disappointed
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 9:50 AM on October 26, 2023
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 9:50 AM on October 26, 2023
No love for Tuk Tuks?
Rode some in SE Asia last time I was there and while I liked the convenience, low cost and omnipresent sense of impending catastrophe at first, the horrible pollution from all of those little 2 stroke engines was impossible to ignore.
posted by Sphinx at 9:53 AM on October 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Rode some in SE Asia last time I was there and while I liked the convenience, low cost and omnipresent sense of impending catastrophe at first, the horrible pollution from all of those little 2 stroke engines was impossible to ignore.
posted by Sphinx at 9:53 AM on October 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm super disappointed that they featured the Wuhan suspended monorail instead of the Wuppertal version that preceded it by 120 years.
Agreed, it kind of feels like they chose the most recent suspended monorail project to represent the entire mode of transport.
Since the list is about quirky transport and arguably there are enough examples of suspended monorails that it's not that quirky these days, I'd totally swap in the Asa Coast bus train davidest mentioned instead. Not a lot of systems using those, and specifically designed to address a local issue (that's unfortunately quite sad for train lovers but still a smart adaptation to changing needs).
posted by chrominance at 10:08 AM on October 26, 2023
Agreed, it kind of feels like they chose the most recent suspended monorail project to represent the entire mode of transport.
Since the list is about quirky transport and arguably there are enough examples of suspended monorails that it's not that quirky these days, I'd totally swap in the Asa Coast bus train davidest mentioned instead. Not a lot of systems using those, and specifically designed to address a local issue (that's unfortunately quite sad for train lovers but still a smart adaptation to changing needs).
posted by chrominance at 10:08 AM on October 26, 2023
Anyone interested in manual cable cars, I've seen them in the US I think around the Lolo Pass area between Montana and Idaho. Slightly sketchy but also very cool and pretty much necessary when the valley is just too narrow for any kind of road on more than one side of the river.
posted by traveler_ at 11:21 AM on October 26, 2023
posted by traveler_ at 11:21 AM on October 26, 2023
Is no one else experiencing a pale, sweaty kind of low-key panic at the sight of the Floating Dutchman?
posted by mochapickle at 11:46 AM on October 26, 2023
posted by mochapickle at 11:46 AM on October 26, 2023
I was hoping there’d be a mention of the Thai Songthaew, pronounced “song tao.”
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 12:25 PM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 12:25 PM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Not sure why I'd pull a rickshaw when I could just walk and have my hands be free.
posted by hypnogogue at 12:35 PM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by hypnogogue at 12:35 PM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I rode one in India because I didn't want to get my shoes muddy. Felt terrible about paying the driver so little, him riding in flip-flops with his single gear. Wish they had better options to make a living.
posted by Rash at 2:45 PM on October 26, 2023
posted by Rash at 2:45 PM on October 26, 2023
Near where I live in southern NZ there's a tiny ferry for vehicles and livestock, my wife blogged it a while back, the Tuapeka Mouth Ferry (The Punt).
posted by unearthed at 11:11 AM on October 27, 2023
posted by unearthed at 11:11 AM on October 27, 2023
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I rather miss Brisbane's quirkiest transport option - the old wooden single hulled ferries. It was always miraculous to me that you could just pay a couple of bucks worth of standard bus fare and hop on a wee little boat and cruise the river to your heart's content. The big double hulled City Cats are cool and all, but there's something really special about the smaller ones. One of my teenage suitors took me on a massive trip round the river on one in like 1998, as that's about as much as his 16 year old's income could manage in terms of extravagant gestures. For a suburban kid more used to freeways than waterways it was surprisingly romantic and a Venetian gondola wouldn't have compared.
The ferries were pulled off the river late 2020 due to safety concerns, but it turns out many have gone to good and loving homes and will cruise the river for a while yet. There's one out at UQ on display, and they documented her restoration. You can always imagine a sixteen year old girl and her beau on the bow, a little wind and a little salt, if you like.
posted by Jilder at 9:04 PM on October 25, 2023 [19 favorites]