Noisy and ungainly, India’s three-wheeled auto rickshaws are an iconic form of urban transport that can be hard to love. Without knowing their place in Indian life, an outsider might take one look at their loud engines and open sides and suggest that rickshaws should be replaced with modern vehicles that are faster, bigger, and more comfortable. But despite their flaws, rickshaws have become an essential ingredient in the transportation stew of India’s cities: they account for 20% of motorized trips in some cities, provide jobs to tens of thousands of drivers, are inexpensive to buy and operate, and are an elegant (if rickety) solution to the problem of affordable, short-distance urban transportation for the middle class.