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food / travel

Third-World Rickshaws Rolling Into Fancy Switzerland -- High-Tech Style, Of Course

Bicycle paths in some Swiss cities are about to crowd up as motorized, 3-wheel rickshaw taxis come to town.

Taking a spin in the new urban transportation mode in Bern
Taking a spin in the new urban transportation mode in Bern

Worldcrunch NEWS BITES

Zurich's taxi drivers are about to get some unusual competition: rickshaws will soon be rolling through the city's streets. But these are no bamboo jobs from the poor corners of Asia. The 3-wheel bicycle-style rickshaws weigh around 140 kilos (308.6 lbs), and besides leg power are also driven by electric motor.

While they can't go as fast as a car, they do have an edge over regular taxis since they can use bicycle lanes. Thomas Matter, who owns the Bern-based company that builds the vehicles, says bike-lane access will mean rickshaws will actually make it faster to get around downtown at peak hours.

Running rickshaw taxis, which are also being introduced in Basel and Bern, was made possible by a decision of the Swiss Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy, and Communications (ASTRA). However, to get permission to run rickshaws, they had to have extra strength added to the brakes: the front wheel and hand brakes had originally been deemed too weak by authorities. Now, the two-passenger vehicles are equipped with powerful downhill brakes, and are ready to go.

Customers in Zurich are expected to be tourists and business people. Matter says the rickshaws are expected to appeal to "guests who enjoy new experiences." However, he admits that for longer distances, and at non-peak hours, the rickshaws are not as fast as automobile taxis.

Read the original article in German by Simon Eppenberger

photo - rikschataxi

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

A New Survey Of Ukrainian Refugees: Here's What Will Bring Them Back Home

With the right support, Ukrainians are ready to return, even to new parts of the country where they've never lived.

photo of people looking at a destroyed building with a wall containing a Banksy work

People look at a Banksy work on a wall of a building destroyed by the Russian army, in the town of Borodyanka, northwest of Kyiv.

Sergei Chuzavkov / SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire
Daria Mykhailishyna

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, millions of Ukrainians fled their homes and went abroad. Many remain outside Ukraine. The Center for Economic Strategy and the Info Sapiens research agency surveyed these Ukrainian war refugees to learn more about who they are and how they feel about going home.

According to the survey, half of Ukrainians who went abroad are children. Among adults, most (83%) are women, and most (42%) are aged 35-49.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

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Most Ukrainian refugees have lost their income due to the war: 12% do not have enough money to buy food, and 28% have enough only for food.

The overwhelming majority of adult refugees (70%) have higher education. This figure is much higher than the share of people with higher education in Ukraine (29%) and the EU (33%).

The majority of Ukrainian refugees reside in Poland (38%), Germany (20%), the Czech Republic (12%), and Italy (6%). In these countries, they can obtain temporary protection, giving them the right to stay, work, and access healthcare and education systems.

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