Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
A wheeled chair turns carrying a passenger into pushing one
The wheels support the seated person's weight while the attendant supplies the force to roll them. That changes the work dramatically on a suitable surface,…
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Kickstands ruined the art of leaning your ride
Before the kickstand, parking a bike meant finding something to lean it against—or laying it down. The little hinged leg solved the problem so neatly that…
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Double-decker buses were made to cheat space
A double-decker stacks passengers vertically, carrying more people without taking up more road width. It is the city bus equivalent of building another floor…
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Crossword clues can send your stroller to Britain
A clue asking for a British baby carriage points to 'pram,' a four-letter shortening of 'perambulator.' Crosswords exploit regional vocabulary because it lets…
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A motorcycle hearse gives riders one last trip in a sidecar
Specialized sidecars can carry a casket to the cemetery, letting riders make the final trip by motorcycle.
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Why your tuk-tuk fare may be negotiable
A negotiable fare means the price is settled with the driver before the tuk-tuk sets off, rather than dictated by a meter. The ride has two routes: one…
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Sidecars let passengers avoid hugging the driver
A sidecar gives the passenger a separate seat beside the motorcycle instead of a perch behind the driver. No clingy balancing act required; the bike brought…
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Tuk-tuks are named for their engine noise
Their small engines make a tuk-tuk-tuk chatter, and the vehicle’s name borrows the sound. It’s not a sleek badge or a marketing brainstorm; the engine got the…
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Why ape-hanger handlebars make bikes harder to steer
Ape-hanger bars put your hands high above your shoulders, making quick steering inputs awkward and tiring your arms. The bike may look ready to fly; its rider…
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Hong Kong ferry seats flip to face forward
Hong Kong’s Star Ferry docks at either end without turning around, so passengers flip their seats to face the direction of travel. The seat backs pivot across…
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Venice water taxis look like luxury speedboats but can drain your wallet quickly
A private water taxi carries just your party, unlike Venice’s shared public boats, and its price reflects the private ride. You’re paying for a boat to wait…
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Brussels built an attraction you can ride through an atom model
The Atomium's spheres represent atoms in an enlarged iron crystal, and connecting tubes contain passages and escalators. Visitors move through the structure…
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Pyongyang's metro gave Berlin trains a second career
The system acquired used Class D trains from Berlin's U-Bahn. Vehicles built for one capital ended up carrying passengers in another with a very different…
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The strange world of spiral escalators
Their tracks curve as they carry passengers upward in a spiral, making them a striking alternative to ordinary straight escalators.
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London Eye is a massive cantilevered observation wheel
The London Eye is supported from one side by an A-frame, leaving the other side open for the wheel and its passenger capsules. That cantilevered arrangement…
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The cable car that carried Chongqing across the Yangtze
The cableway carried cabins directly over the Yangtze, linking the two sides without sending passengers into bridge traffic. A motor hauled each cabin along…
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Why tourists sail toward Niagara Falls' raging water
Tour boats follow a controlled route into the spray below Niagara Falls, where powerful engines hold them against the current. Passengers get close enough to…
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Those theme-park trains may have no tracks
The cars ride on rubber tires over pavement, not steel wheels on rails. A lead vehicle follows the park route and pulls the rest along, making a train that…
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This Swiss mountain has an outdoor elevator
Opened in 1905, the Hammetschwand lift rises beside a cliff above Lake Lucerne. Its exposed steel tower carries visitors above the rock face, where a bridge…
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Salvador uses an elevator to connect two levels of the city
The Elevador Lacerda links the lower Comércio district with the upper city, turning a steep climb into a short vertical ride. It opened in 1873 and became…
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Lisbon built an elevator into its street network
The Santa Justa lift connects the lower Baixa area with the higher Carmo district. Instead of climbing the surrounding steep streets, passengers travel…
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London's DLR gives passengers the view usually reserved for a driver
Its trains normally run under automatic control, with staff able to supervise and intervene. Without a conventional driver's cab occupying the front,…
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The cable-car cabins with glass floors
The floor is made from strong glass panels, so the view below becomes part of the ride. You are safely inside a suspended cabin; your instincts, seeing the…
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The Panama Canal runs on rain-fed freshwater
The locks lift ships by filling giant chambers with water from rain-fed Gatun Lake. Then the water drains toward the ocean, meaning every ship gets a…
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