Licence granted for tuk tuks to operate tours in Cardiff
A TOUR company has been granted a licence to operate tours of Cardiff in tuk tuks.
The tuk tuk tours will be coming to the streets of capital despite fears over safety.
Cardiff Council decided to grant a licence to the company that will operate trips around the capital in electric versions of the rickshaws commonly used in India and Thailand.
Cardiff Tuk-Tuk Tours will now be able to operate tours around the city, lasting for six hours, three hours or one hour, from February to October.
A taxi service will not be offered.
Routes will include Cardiff Castle, St Fagans, Insole Court, Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff city centre and Cardiff Bay.
The company has said it will buy three top-of-the-range electric vehicles, which would cost around £25,000 each.
Councillors on the committee largely welcomed the idea, but some concern was raised about the safety of the vehicles, including lack of crash protection.
Dale Edmonds, owner of Cardiff Tuk-Tuk Tours, said cities such as London, Manchester and Chester already have similar businesses operating there.
He said: “I think this is an opportunity for Cardiff to get on board with something exciting, something different, something green, something we can offer the tourists that they are not getting at the moment.”
Asked about crash protection, he said: “The passengers sit high in the vehicle. That makes it unlikely that they would get much of an impact [in a crash].
“They have had no major reports of any incidents at the factory [for the tuk tuks].
“I have travelled the routes on many occasions at various times of the day. I set my vehicle to a maximum of 40mph, and not once have we held the traffic up or been held up by the traffic. We’re not intending to use them in peak rush hours in the morning.”
Mr Edmonds added his drivers would be put through a specialist training course, and all the tuk tuks would have seatbelts.
Councillor Joel Williams was among those who supported the idea.
He said: “This is a really exciting application. It can be great for our city, great for the local economy and great for tourists.”
Councillor Susan Goddard added: “It’s absolutely something super for the city and environmentally friendly, which is what we all want anyway.”
But two councillors on the committee expressed fears over safety.
Councillor John Lancaster said: “I don’t like them – I just think they’re not safe. There’s no crash protection.
“There’s no protection for drivers, no airbags. There’s no protection for any passenger. If you’re hit by a 4x4, lorry or a bus, sitting on that level won’t protect them either. Saying there has been no reported incidents doesn’t mean anything.
“This is the public protection committee, not the ‘let’s licence anything because it looks good’ committee.”
Councillor Norma Mackie, the chairwoman of the committee, also expressed concerns. She said: “I have a real concern about the safety aspect. There’s no protection should something hit them.”
But the committee heard the tuk tuk vehicles are already roadlegal and come with safety certificates.
The licence was granted with five votes in favour, two against.