BABIL, Iraq — In blacksmith shops and car garages, Iraq’s deliverymen and unemployed youths are building a local transport vehicle called a satouta (shuttle). It is the latest invention created by Iraqis to make a living and fight poverty.
The shuttle consists of a cart pulled by a motorcycle. Adel Mahmoud, a mechanical engineer in Babil, told Al-Monitor, “It is a hybrid vehicle that did not undergo scientific tests in durability or security and is being manufactured even at home, without quality control procedures.” He added, “This vehicle cannot adjust its balance on sharp turns, as it often travels at high speeds that are not in line with its technical and mechanical capabilities."