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Travelling long-distance in parts of rural India can be daunting.
But the locals have come up some ingenious motor-contraptions that are proving to be quite a success - both economically and socially.
In India, one vehicle is called the 'jugaad' which literally translates as a 'put-together contraption that moves'.
It is not quite the sophisticated purr one expects from the engine, but the vehicle certainly roars to life.
The engine is a water-drawing pump, and the body comes from a rejected jeep.
There are four gears and a steering wheel.
With all that, you don't need much more for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to hit the road.
Narayan, Mechanic, said: "We use a Kirloskar engine. It's best for this type of machine. It runs on diesel and gives a decent average too. One litre lasts an hour or so."
The jugaad can manage speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour.
On the highways of India's northern Uttar Pradesh state, it's estimated there are some 2,000 such vehicles in operation.
They ferry passengers and goods, mostly agriculture related.
And the cost of making one is about 60,000 rupees, the equivalent of just over US$1,300.
It's economical, no-frills and practical, say its fans, so they won't consider using anything else as a mode of transportation.
Reis Qureishi, Vegetable Trader, said: "They are so useful. On routes where there are no buses, no proper road, these 'jugaads' are able to go. They're a great help to farmers and locals. Very often the larger trucks don't take the vegetables for sale into the villages, or collect them from the fields. These operators do it for just 50 rupees, about US$1, or often even less."
Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention and there's no better example than this masterpiece.
A majority of 'jugaad' vehicles remained unregistered with the transport authorities as they fail to meet up to safety standards.
But over the last 10 years, this vehicle has become an integral part of the rural Indian economy. - CNA
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