The population of Vietnam is around 100m.....and the latest motorcycle count in the country something like 75m....apparently the most per capita on the planet.
Kids as young as 12 riding small 50cc bikes and families of up to four on 125's. On my early morning runs,as early as 6h30am,moms can be seen ferrying their toddlers to nursery school upfront (unbelievably dangerous).
Helmets are a joke,...one might as well be wearing a baseball cap!
But it works,.. and I've yet to see an accident or collision.
Miraculous really, but it's really an incredibly efficient way to get around .
The little Honda we hired already had some fuel when we hired it 3 days ago. I rode it till half way through the 2nd day and eventually filled it for the grand total of exactly R50 and probably rode at least 50km.
Then this morning we rode 90km to Danang and back,....and it looks like I still have at least half a tank?
This incredibly efficient and inexpensive form of transport is utilized in virtually every developing country on the planet. In south and central America,....India,.. ..South East Asia,...the Phillipines. I could go on but you get the picture.
So why the @#$% not South Africa . I mean,one can purchase a new 100 or 125cc moped for just R10k or less .. maintenance costs very little,fuel even less . They're pretty much indestructible.
In the countries mentioned above ,in case of a breakdown,virtually any backyard mechanic can fix them.
In India one could literally replace an engine or gearbox in a locals backyard within hours.
It would provide a viable solution to the unbelievably high cost of transport from our townships where the average worker probably spends 1/3 or more of their salaries on daily transport for themselves and their families!
So why not? Here's what I think,...the taxi industry wouldn't allow it,....and in fact wouldn't survive.
What's the chance of the owners bike being there in the morning? How would South Africans allow the unbelievably efficient flow of traffic which somehow exists in these countries when they literally NEVER allow a car to feed in?
Naah,on second thoughts forget it!
