The Mumbai Xpress 2018!

 

 
This update is from Goa. Looking at Mandovi River, where floating casinos make it colorful, new construction of bridge, lovely pool side view of the base hotel are the exact settings when I am writing this lookback for this great rally. Looking back in memory lane, just over a month back when the preparation was on, Mumbai was reeling under the heavy rains. Then there were riots all over Maharastra for couple of days. Whatever happens and however bad the condition were, it’s pure will of the organizing team that one thought of “make it ready for the date” had kept it all organized for the start of the rally. Yes, in such grandeur and with great participants the rally started without any issues.
 

Day 1

 

 
First day as usual, registration and event briefing quickly got wound up as per the schedule. Then at the practice ground I got a great surprise to know that team 9 ‘Bottomless Samosas’ did not know that the vehicle works on Manual gear shift. One of them, in fact, told me that by reading auto rickshaw they thought it was automatic. The rest of the teams had their drill and Team 9 took us some special attention to teach. They were amazingly quick learners and they drove the rickshaw back to the hotel without any support. Team 8 ‘Stephanie May flower’ were the first one to call for service and they had flooded the connection tube with oil during the first filling. Braving Indian road gave all plenty of things to talk about and the Welcome drink worked like a perfect catalyst.
 

Day 2

 

 
Due to some emergency I had to leave Mumbai on Sunday morning and Prsanth was leading pack and the work went on normally. All the teams did their mini challenge on day 2 and it was absolutely a smooth start and the some of the teams were relaxing a bit and they came late to the parking lot. So the two days went on a jet speed and teams rested for the next day drive.
 

Day 3

 

 
Day 3 the lobby of Sun N sand had such a colorful look as most of the competitors were in great costumes. The day’s briefing was done by Prasanth and teams were flagged off from Sun n Sand gates. It was a quiet day until Team 16 the ‘Sizzling Hot Shishas’ had a crash. The accident was a major setback as the chassis of the vehicle was hit drastically. But our ‘phoenix’ Chennai garage team brought that in to a same and driven it to the destination, were it was ready for the participants to drive the next day. All the teams were surprised by the road condition on the way to Alibag as the roads were latterly washed away by resent monsoon. Hard roads, tough traffic, uncomfortable beds, all in all tested the will of the participants.
 

Day 4

 
Day 4 is another day and the sun has brought in the hope. Destination Pune was the target for all the teams. The drive was so interesting and the express highway cops became the subject of much laughter. I rejoined the rally that day and the first team to show up was Team 16. They were relived and normal when I met them. They will have plenty to talk about in years to come. Hope the story makes it to their grandchildren story times as both of the team members are Youngest of the group. Traffic in Pune was the topic for the day and all were digested by a beer in Brewery close to the base hotel.
 

 
 

This game

Created by JSplash Apps, the Auto Rickshaw Rash mobile game is both quirky and fun. Get behind the wheel and join this crazy race, but be careful as there are no rules here. In fact, this is the one place where bad driving is rewarded! Take the lead, hit, grind and smash your opponents – you’ll get coins every time you do this. Coins can be used to upgrade your auto rickshaw and you can unlock awesome achievements as you progress.
The race is set in an imaginary location in Bangalore, India, and drivers speak in Kannada during the race. A newer version will take players to famous cities like Chennai and Mumbai.

This Indian Mickey Mouse cartoon

Watch Mickey speeding through the Mumbai traffic in an auto rickshaw, to get an elephant up a mountain. Unless you speak the language, you won’t understand much of it, but truth to be told you don’t even need to; this cartoon is universally funny.

The mind-blowing TUK600

The what? The Far Cry 4 Tuk Tuk replica created by Colin Furze, of course! The DYI mad man took a normal auto rickshaw and turned it into a crazy machine by putting a Honda engine on it and rigging airsoft guns on it.

The Rickshaw Challenge

Looking for a crazy adventure in India? The Rickshaw Challenge is exactly what you need! Since 2006, the rally team has been offering tourists the chance to be part of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, where partying and sightseeing combine in a unique way.
All you have to do is gather your friends or family to create a team, pack your bags and we’ll take care of everything else, so you can fully enjoy the ride! Whether you choose the Classic Run, the Malabar Rampage, Deccan Odyssey, Mumbai Xpress or Tamilnadu Run, you’re guaranteed to have the most adventure-filled vacation in India.

These badass pimped rickshaws

Driving an auto rickshaw is certainly an interesting experience, but if you’re looking for something that will grab everyone’s attention, check out these crazy pimped out auto rickshaws. Giant horns, toy guns, colorful lights, weird paint jobs – your imagination is the only limit to what your customized auto rickshaw will look like.
If you want to ride in style, you can make your rickshaw look like a limousine on the inside. If you want everyone to notice you when you pass by, why not disguise your vehicle as a giant furry rabbit, or paint flames on its sides to make it look badass? Anything is possible!

Mellowcab

Although only recently introduced, this product is already touted as the electric rickshaw of the future. Mellowcab is a service that manufactures and operated electric auto rickshaws, which have been transformed to mini-cabs to be used as public transportation in crowded cities. In addition to carrying passengers, the service also makes money from selling advertising space on vehicles.
The electric mini-cabs were created by a South African entrepreneur, who thought the on-demand taxi service would serve as a green, cheap, safe and fast alternative for regular cars.
The three-wheeler designed by Neil du Preez weighs 230 kg. It is powered by pedals and an electric-assist motor and runs on rechargeable lead-crystal batteries which allow it to run for about 110 km at a top speed of 112 km/h. Mellowcab will work through a smartphone app.

This social initiative

And last, but not least, auto rickshaws deserve all your love and admiration because they are also used in social causes. The Rickshaw Challenge supports various charities and encourages participants to donate.
The Rickshaw Project is another notable social initiative. The organization offers jobs for people with disabilities, employing them as drivers for specially-designed, hand-controlled, retrofitted rickshaws. Through this initiative, TRP is trying to fight against prejudices and campaign for the rights of people with disabilities.
We hope this article helped you discover just how awesome these tiny vehicles are. But if you still have doubts, you should join us on our next rally and we guarantee you’ll fall hopelessly in love with auto rickshaws.

Go for a whacky paint job

If there is any country where you can get away with bright colors and crazy designs — it’s India.
Whether you want to be garish with flower power or slap on your sponsor’s logo, anything goes on the Rickshaw Challenge.
Go for bright colors, crazy designs like animal prints, polka dots, flowers, traditional Indian patterns, or heck, even characters from your favorite movie!
The imagination is the limit when it comes to rickshaw designs.

It’s all about the sound, baby

Rickshaws are meant to be loud! So make the most of it! Equip your rickshaw with a horn that will wake the dead, and get into the Indian spirit. The average rickshaw driver will honk the horn around 130 times, so when in Rome…
But when you’re driving outside of the city, you’ll want to keep yourself entertained, so make sure you give your rickshaw the full pimp with a sound system complete with a deep booty base. That way you’ll have the baddest shaw in town!

Light me up

The whole point of a pimp is to go for the most ridiculous outfit, and nothing says that more than giving your rickshaw some crazy lighting.
Whether it’s a set of LED fairy lights or bright neons, you can make your rickshaw glow in the dark or make a disco rickshaw for night driving.

Creature comforts

One of the best things about riding a rickshaw is that it is not your usual mundane vehicle, but just because you’re in a rickshaw doesn’t mean you can’t be comfortable.
You can also get some extra cushions and headrests in your vehicle, and if the hot Indian summer is a bit much, then put in a pair of cooling fans.
Fancy a nice cold ice tea en route? Then get a mini fridge put in, so no matter where you are, you have your own private bar.

Get your full entertainment center

For those slow days on the road, and you want to kick back and relaxed, you can equip your rickshaw with a mini LCD screen and attach it to a DVD player, or even have it set up to an iPod and such.

More bling!

At the Rickshaw Challenge, we don’t believe there is such a thing as too much bling. If your whacky paint job, big base system, flashing neon chassis is not enough to go with your tiger print upholstery, then you can go to town!
Get some flower wreaths and deck your rickshaw out as if it were going to an Indian wedding. You can also go glam and use beads, feather boas and whatever your imagination desires. If you decide to race a rickshaw, make sure you pimp it to perfection before doing so!

Baby, You Can Pimp My Shaw

The Amazing Wifi Auto Rickshaw

India’s Drivers Pump Up The Glam.
Dashboard statues of glow-in-the-dark Hindu gods, hubcaps painted like soccer balls and seat covers adorned with Bollywood stars — all this and more rickshaw bling is all the rage in India.
The motorized three-wheeled buggies are a fixture on India’s crowded city streets, scooting in and out of traffic, picking up and dropping off passengers.
In New Delhi alone, there are some 50,000 of these vehicles. And that number is set to double as the city recently lifted a decades-long cap on the number of rickshaws allowed on the road.
With more rickshaws, competition for passengers is expected to be fierce. As a result, some owners are already looking to glam up their rides.
Listen to the Story:
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Via: NPR