1 It’s six o’clock on Sunday morning, and there are fifteen tuk-tuks waiting outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. A tuk-tuk is a type of taxi with three wheels. The driver sits at the front, and behind him is a seat for three passengers. Sometimes four passengers can fit into the tuk-tuk, but it is very uncomfortable! They are called tuk-tuks because of the funny sound of their small engines. There are thousands of tuk-tuks in Bangkok.
2 One tuk- tuk driver is Pom Sanniwat. Pom is fifty-two years old, and has been driving his tuk-tuk for almost twenty-five years. Like many tuk-tuk drivers, Pom comes from the north of Thailand. Pom’s village was very poor. There was no work on the farms, so Pom came to Bangkok. He decided to become a tuk-tuk driver because it looked like fun.
3 Pom likes being a tuk-tuk driver because he can speak to many people every day. He can also earn over $400 a month. Almost anyone can become a tuk-tuk driver. Tuk-tuks are very easy to drive. But driving a tuk-tuk has its disadvantages, too. When Pom started driving his tuk-tuk, he often got lost! Pom also has a long day. He works from six o’clock in the morning until nine o’clock at night. There are many cars and buses in Bangkok, so there is a lot of pollution. The pollution is bad for Pom’s health.
4 But for Pom and the other drivers at the Grand Palace, tuk-tuks are still a good way to earn money!