Songthaew
A songthaew is a passenger vehicle in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar adapted from a pick-up or a larger truck and used as a share taxi or bus.
Overview
The songthaew takes its name from the two bench seats fixed along either side of the back of the truck. In some vehicles, a third bench is put down the middle of the seating area. Additionally a roof is fitted over the rear of the vehicle, to which curtains and plastic sheeting to keep out rain may be attached. Some vehicles have roofs high enough to accommodate standing passengers within the vehicle. More typically, standing passengers occupy a platform attached to the rear.In Chiang Mai and its surroundings, locals may call them rot si daeng, rot daeng, or sometimes si rot.
The Isuzu Faster and Toyota Hilux are example models of songthaews found in Thailand.
In addition, some models of songthaews — such as Daihatsu Hijet, Subaru Sambar and Suzuki Carry — familiarly known as rot ka-poh, literally translates to "toad cars." The word ka-poh comes from Teochew, which means "toad" — reference to their shape. Some are also called rot kra-pong or rot-Subaru — a reference to their brand.