Tuk-tuks in Amsterdam starting August 3
published: Wednesday, August 01 2007, 2:05PM
The Tuk Tuk Company starts with 20 tuk-tuks in Amsterdam, starting Friday August 3.
The official 'opening' is on Friday, 5pm, in the Krasnapolsky Hotel on Dam Square. The 20 tuk-tuks that will be used, will be presented to the public. Between 5.30 pm and 8 pm all rides in the tuk-tuks will be free. At 6pm the fleet will be displayed on the Noordermarkt square in the Jordaan.
Tuk-tuk pricing works different than taxis: the city is divided into zones. Within a zone, a ride is E 3.50 per person, E 5,00 for 2 persons and E 6,50 for 3. If you go to another zone, E 3.50 is added (irrespective of number of persons).
The advantage is that there is a fixed price, so that running taxi meters or taking a longer route are no longer a problem (as sometimes with taxis).
The zones are indicated in a PDF file on the website. The tuk tuk only goes to the zones indicated on this map.
For tourists, the tuk tuk can be a great deal, and a practical way of transportation within the centre. If your hotel is in the centre of Amsterdam, a ride will normally be cheaper than a taxi.
As most tourist attractions are in the centre zone, using a tuk-tuk to get from one place to another can be quick and cheap. Please note that the Museumplein (with Rijksmuseum and Vincent van Gogh Museum) is just outside the centre zone (it is just south of the centre). To avoid the extra E 3.50 for entering another zone, you may want to ask to be dropped off on Stadhouderskade, just in front of the Rijksmuseum.
The announcement comes more than a year later after a previous announcement that the tuk tuks would start in Amsterdam in October 2006.
The tuk-tuk can be flagged down, or ordered through the phone number 0900- 99 333 99.
Source: http://www.simplyamsterdam.nl/news/news_frontpage.php