Ultimate Guide on How to drive a Tuktuk
Motorbikes are prone to accidents, and cars are too big to find parking spaces for. So how delighted I was when I found out I can rent a Tuktuk for only Php 1,200 / day, in contrast to renting a car for Php 2,500 / day.
One problem: I've never driven a motorcycle, and the tuktuk only came with a manual clutch.
I tried to rent a tuktuk near my lodging, but kuya took a look at me - a small petite woman - and asked, "Who's going to drive it?" As if he's waiting for me to answer, "my dad."
Well I didn't bring my dad with me, sir. So I simply said, "Me?"
He said, "Do you know how to drive it?"
I said, "No..."
Then he said, "It's difficult to drive it, I cannot rent it to you."
Well, as a person who taught myself how to code, I know I can learn anything, and being able to drive one is going to be pretty handy in the provinces, plus you get to save a lot of money. You can even rent it for a month for half the price!
So I'm very much determined to learn it. Everyone has got to start somewhere!
Where to learn to drive a Tuktuk
Then I found Binggo Ride, who was renting out tuktuks. I was scared to ask kuya if he can teach me, but I had no choice.
So I was elated when he said to just come to their office and he'll teach me how to drive it. Kuya also revealed that he taught a lot of foreigners to drive tuktuk so it's not a problem that I didn't know how to drive one.
I rented our Tuktuk for 4 days at a bulk discounted rate of Php 1,000 / day.
First day driving, I was panicking inside. Good thing riders in General Luna were also very slow. If it were in Manila or in Bali, people would have constantly beeped at me.
By second day, I was already getting a hang of it. So I'm pretty sure anyone can learn it too!
Tuktuk Basics
Purchase Price
One thing I checked first was how much to buy the whole tuktuk.
The one Binggo Ride had was a more premium brand called Bajaj and it costs 200k+. The more common ones you'd see on the streets is TVS, which is a bit cheaper at 190k.
Gas consumption
Surprisingly, I loaded up P300 worth of premium gas and it was enough for 4 days.
Kuya said P500 could take you around the island and back ~ maybe 3 hours worth of driving. I think I did more than 2 hours with the P300 gas I loaded.
I actually put in P100 in my last ride, and the gas indicator went from 25% to 60%. So it's pretty cost effective.
Speed and Climbing
Tuktuks can run up to 65kph, but I don't dare to, safety first!
Kuya said that tuktuks can climb steep roads, up to the 2nd gear.
Suspension
Nothing. You feel all the bumps, humps, small rocks on the roads. 😄
Dangers
One thing kuya pointed out that can happen, which I find to be more risky than driving a motorcycle, is that when turning a very sharp curve, your tuktuk can flip.
So now, with every curve I turn, I do an almost complete stop.
I also heard stories about tuktuks flipping when climbing very steep areas, like going to the super north part of the island by the Alegria beach. In that case, I would suggest to just rent a car if the roads are not yet developed.
Night Driving
The tuktuk has a bright mode as well. It lights up the road well at night, even in roads without street lamps.
Anatomy
I originally thought a tuktuk was a motorcycle with an attached cart, just like a trike. But it's actually a mix of a car's brakes and motorcycle's handle bars.
I really like the passenger seats, it can seat up to 3 people at the back, and you can seat 2 more people on both sides of the driver at the front. But kuya said it's not advisable because the driver can easily get distracted.
The backseat also features a storage space for your bags at the back, and the cute little doors. I felt really secure as a passenger.
Steps on how to drive the Tuktuk
Now let's get to my notes on how to drive one. Notes for my future self..
How to switch gears and move forward
Before anything, you'll need to understand what Neutral looks like since you won't be able to start the engine when it's not on neutral.
You control the gears with your left handlebar. And neutral is that line in between numbers 1 and 2.
You'll know you're on neutral when the "N" lights up green on the dashboard.
From Neutral to Gear 1
To start, hold the handlebar lock and rotate the handlebar backward until the dot is on top of the #1. It would feel like holding the brakes on a bicycle.
Also note that going from Neutral to Gear 1 is the only thing you can do when the vehicle is at a full stop. Going to other gears requires the vehicle to be moving.
Even when going back to Neutral, the vehicle should be moving.. which was one of the most tricky parts I encountered because you should be able to predict when you're going to fully stop.
After moving the handlebar to Gear 1, you cannot fully release the lock until you do gas with your right hand, just like driving a car with a manual transmission. Kuya suggests to slowly release the lock one finger at a time until you feel the vehicle is already moving a bit, then slowly put on a bit of gas.
Be careful, the gas handlebar might also be very sensitive so just a few centimeters of rotation might do.
From Gear 1 to Next Gear
You'll be able to rotate the handlebar to the other gears, including Neutral, only when the vehicle is moving at a certain speed. You won't be able to rotate it if the vehicle is not moving fast enough.
When you hear the engine revving up already with a high-pitch sound, let go of the gas, and hold and rotate the left handlebar to the next gear.
Gears 2,3,4 are not in the same direction, you rotate the handlebar backward instead of forward. And yes, neutral is between gears 1 and 2, so it was hard for me to navigate at night when I wasn't used to the gears yet.
For gears 2,3,4, the dot is aligned in the middle of the number.
Make a mistake, the engine will stop
Just like driving manual cars, if you leave the clutch unpressed without gas, the engine will stop.
So at any point in time, either (1) the vehicle should be moving, (2) the gas is pressed, or (3) the clutch is pressed.. to avoid shutdown of the engine.
How to start the Tuktuk
When starting or stopping the tuktuk, I check 3 things:
- keys in the ignition
- handbrakes (sometimes I'd forget to release it)
- and my phone on the phone holder (cannot leave it like in an enclosed car, people can easily steal it!)
To start:
- Make sure the gear is in neutral (see previous section on what neutral is)
- Hold and rotate the left handlebar to gear 1
- Slowly let go of the left handlebar while putting on a bit of gas by rotating the right handbar backwards.
Remember, make a mistake and the engine will stop.
How to reverse
This is the most tricky thing to do, I'm not sure if it's because of my old vehicle. I took a look at other tuktuks, and the reverse method is the same.
But one tuktuk driver told me his reverse is being controlled by the handlebar, so I'm guessing there should be a Tuktuk model where reversing is not such a nightmare to do.
It's a hit or miss, the reverse bar would be on your bottom left. By default, if it's not pulled up, that means you're going forward.
To do a reverse, lift this bar as fast as you can, and the cable here should be propped up.
Sounds easy? It was not.
Lifting that bar is not a guarantee that the cable thingy would prop up, so sometimes I'd get stuck somewhere trying to do a reverse.
Later on, I try my best to park sideways to avoid needing to do a reverse.
How to stop
Stopping is another tricky thing to do because as I said earlier - the vehicle should be moving to be able to switch gears or go neutral.
You use your right foot to brake. You can pump the brakes as long as the vehicle doesn't go into a complete stop.
To be able to completely stop, you need to hold the clutch. If I predict I'm going to be fully stopping, like when parking or on a red light.. I make sure to rotate the clutch to neutral or at least reduce the gear back to 1 or 2 while the vehicle is still moving.
To be able to move forward from full stop at gear 1 or 2 is okay. But going from gear 3 / 4 is too high already, the engine might completely stop.
What happens when you're at full stop but you're on a higher gear?
This one I haven't fully mastered yet. Sometimes I'm already parked and there's no more space to move forward, so I let go of the clutch fully and let the engine stop, then I just rotate it back to Neutral.
Or if the clutch won't allow you to rotate the handlebar, then you need to manually push the vehicle with your foot to make it move a bit, then you'll be able to rotate the handlebar.
Where to learn in actual
Where I learned - Binggo Ride Rentals.
Shout out to Binggo Ride for my Tuktuk ride and free tutorial! Kuya said they used to have 17 tuktuks, and they were the first to offer this. But after the pandemic, a lot were unused so only a few tuktuks are left. A lot of other companies are also offering tuktuks so competition has gone up.
New skill unlocked!