As we travelled through Myanmar, we had no real idea about the adventures Bagan had in mind for us. When The Wife and I look back to our trip to Myanmar, we often reminisce about the e-bikes and the fantastic, fun and intrepid adventures they enabled us to have. As neither of us had ever been to Bagan, we didn’t have the faintest idea of what e-bike was all about.
We did read about e-bikes online and how it was the best transport mode in Bagan. However, we also did a little research into motorcycles and scooters and how they are illegal for foreigners due to several traffic accidents in the past [1]. When we arrived in Bagan via the airport and getting a cap to our hotel, we did in fact notice tourist vividly using a scooter as their means of transportation. Audacious. That was my first thought.
Establishing the Context
Let me paint you a picture of Nyaung U. At literally every corner, high-end scooters are lined up for tourist to rent. As a law-abiding citizen of Denmark (and proud of it!) respecting all cultures and their laws, we did settle on an e-bike (in the most traditional sense!). Not in a million years would I break the law/rules of renting an illegal scooter in Bagan, Myanmar. Danish people often have a tendency to be disciplined rule-followers. We don’t dare to jaywalk across a street – even if its middle of the night and there are no people, cars or animals for miles. If you break the rules (either you are a local or tourist), prepare to be frowned upon, but in a respectful way.
As a literate, disciplined rule-following, (partly idiot) Danish tourist in Bagan, I advised The Wife of the risks involved with renting an illegal scooter contra a legal, partially manual electric bike. Needless to say, that my beautiful wife (even more Danish-ish in regards to abiding by rules than I am), was also dismissive of the idea of a scooter.
Getting out and about the local shop in Nyaung U, it was nearly impossible to find any electric bikes that satisfied these two Danish tourists. Ultimately, we had to settle for the electric bikes that our hotel Zfreeti offered. They were beaten down, old, bicycles (in its truest meaning!) with pedals, bells and a battery/performance as good as a four-year-old iPhone 4 [2].
Finally! We are on the road to visit the astonishing temple city – one paddle at a time. I once used my mother in law’s electric bike (which is subject to Danish law) which only turns on its power assistance system, when you thread the pedals. It was the same functioning from this cheap Chinese brand. I had to set it at maximum power, and already after 1-hour ride down the dirt road, I realised that my power consumption was draining the battery at an unacceptable level pretty fast (yeah, my wife’s battery was holding out way better – probably because she was relying on the old fashioned leg-work and is way more fit than me). We had to re-think our strategy. Can you imagine these two Danish, ignorant tourist that had to pedal the bicycle during the midday with approximately 40 degree Celsius to get from one temple to another traversing great distances while tourists everywhere were overtaking us with their fantastic illegal scooters! I had to investigate!
Let us get it out there right away! The definition of an e-bike in Bagan, Myanmar is not the same definition we have in Europe. Just to get a little geeky for a minute; an electric bike in Denmark (and Europe) is laid out in REGULATION (EU) No 168/2013 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 15 January 2013 [3]. An amendment is currently adding functionalities and descriptions of more powerful electric bikes, which can be found in The Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPC). The EU regulation requirements:
- the cycle must be fitted with pedals that can be used to propel it;
- the electric motor must not exceed a maximum continuous rated power of 250W; and
- the electric motor must not offer electrical assistance beyond a 25kph, and therefore cut-off when the cycle reaches this speed.
So per definition to the European standards and regulations, we did find (probably the only) real electric bike in all of Bagan (compared to the rules laid out in the EU regulation and EAPC)! Congrats law-abiding Danish citizens!
When I finally took a good look at the shop owner across the hotel, we found out, that these so-called scooters, actually are electric scooters, or as they call them in Bagan, E-Bikes. Apparently, the locals in Bagan have found a sneaky way to circumvent the law that prohibits tourist of renting gasoline scooters and motorbikes. Let’s keep all the original features of gasoline scooters (and all the features that made them dangerous for tourist in the first place) and replace it with an electrical component.
Turning to the regulation once more, we also find that there exist ‘other kinds’ of electric bikes in Europe. If they go beyond 25 kph and does not cut-off (meaning the bike can be propelled without pedalling), it does not meet the EAPC amendment. Therefore a crash helmet is required, you’ll need to have a valid driver license to ride the bike and have proper insurance. Just for fun, let us take a look at the specification given to us by these newly identified e-bikes in Bagan:
Speed: Goes up to 45 kph
Helmet: Not required; and the one you get is paper-thin, does not fit correctly and will properly decapitate your head if you are involved in an accident.
Power output: No clue?!
Manufacturer of the motor: Some Chinese brand (Good enough for me!)
Maximum power output of 250w: Well… Ok?! Probably way more!
Propel the bike: Just twist and go!
So to summarise; this is NOT what we would term an ordinary e-bike as it does not meet the EAPC requirements. But what is it then? Well, in Europe it should be classified as an electric scooter or motorcycle – but nonetheless perfectly legal in Bagan! I was no longer the bearer of bad news.
But the question remains… Should we do it?
Risk Identification & Assessment
Alright, let us just get it out there. We basically have a fast electric bike (read: scooter) that can go 45 kph with a passenger on the back adventuring up and down infrastructure that is in a questionable and shady condition, with personal safety equipment lacking the minimum requirements of a low-income European country in the mid-1930s. Let’s do a little risk identification and analysis using the well-known bow-tie model [4].
| Cause #1: Poor road conditions | Slow Speed | Hazard E-Bike in Bagan, Myanmar | Paper thin helmets that can’t be properly fastened // Insurance claims in case of injury (payment to next of kin) | Outcome #1 Injury / Fatality |
| Cause #2: Faulty E-Bike | Check e-bike and test drive | Top Event E-Bike in Bagan, Myanmar | Insurance | Outcome #2 Material Damage |
| Cause #3: Behaviour of other road users | Observe other road users driving pattern and culture // Keep right at the lanes // Use blinkers when turning right or left and use horn/lights when needed | GPS Device or map // Phone number to owner of e-bike (several offer free pickup / exchange of battery) | Outcome #3 Low or Depleted Battery (Stranded) |
Risk Evaluation
So.. You kind of took the fun element out of just going with the flow. Did you guys do it? Heck yes! The opportunities clearly outweighed the risk. We did have quirks with the paper thin helmets, but accounting for this along the way we could implement a reasonably safe (and legal!) means of transportation. We did implement the barriers as mentioned above (categorised with green, yellow and red highlighting the effectiveness of the barrier) to mitigate both causes and possible adverse outcome. Even though it can be argued that our risk tolerance was pretty high, it was a no brainer! Just go for it!
Notes and References
Note 1: Lonely Planet Forum
Note 2: iPhone Battery Scandal
Note 3: Official Journal of the European Union
Disclaimer
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