The cycle rickshaw is a small-scale local means of transport. It is a type of

hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...

tricycle designed to carry passengers on a for-hire basis. It is also known by a variety of other names such as bike taxi, velotaxi, pedicab, bikecab, cyclo, beca, becak, trisikad, sikad, tricycle taxi, trishaw, or hatchback bike. As opposed to rickshaws pulled by a person on foot, cycle rickshaws are human-powered by pedaling. Another type of rickshaw is the auto rickshaw.

Overview

The first cycle rickshaws were built in the 1880s, and they were first used widely in 1929 in Singapore. Six years later they outnumbered pulled rickshaws. By 1950 cycle rickshaws were found in every south and east Asian country. By the late 1980s there were an estimated 4 million cycle rickshaws in the world. The vehicle is generally pedal-driven by a driver, though some are equipped with an electric motor to assist the driver. The vehicle is usually a tricycle, though some quadracycle models exist, and some

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

s with

trailers Trailer may refer to: a Transportation * Trailer (vehicle), an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle ** Bicycle trailer, a wheeled frame for hitching to a bicycle to tow cargo or passengers ** Full-trailer ** Semi-trailer **Horse trailer ...

are configured as cycle rickshaws. Some cycle rickshaws have gas or electric motors.

Passenger configuration

The configuration of driver and passenger seats varies. Generally the driver sits in front of the passengers to pedal the rickshaw. There are some designs, though, where the cyclist driver sits behind the passengers. In many Asian countries, like Bangladesh, India and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, the passenger seat is located behind the driver, while in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam the driver sits behind the passenger seat. In the Philippines, the passenger seats are usually located beside the driver in a side car. Similarly, in the ''trishaw'' in Singapore and the ''sai kaa'' in Burma the passengers sit alongside the driver.

Nomenclature

The cycle rickshaw is known by a variety of other names, including: * velotaxi (used in Germany) * pussuss (used in parts of France) * velotram (used in parts of France) * bikecab * cyclo (used in Vietnam and Cambodia) * pedicab (used in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada) * bike taxi (used in Buffalo, New York) * bicitaxi (used in Mexico) * taxi ecologico (used in Mexico) * trishaw * beca (used in Malaysia) * becak (used in Indonesia) * helicak (used in Indonesia) it's another version of becak but with engines, not manual pedals * traysikad, trisikad, sikad or padyak (used in the Philippines)

Country overview

Cycle rickshaws are used in Asian countries, but also in countries outside Asia, such as large European and some North America cities. They are used primarily for their novelty value, as an entertaining form of transportation for tourists and locals, but they also have environmental benefits and may be quicker than other forms of transport if traffic congestion is high. Cycle rickshaws used outside Asia often are mechanically more complex, having multiple gears, more powerful brakes, and in some cases electrical motors to provide additional power.

Africa

Madagascar

In Madagascar rickshaws, including cycle rickshaws or ''cyclo-pousse'', are a common form of transportation in a number of cities. Rickshaws are known as ''pousse-pousse'', meaning ''push-push'', reportedly for the pulled rickshaws that required a second person to push the vehicles up hills. Cycles are more common in the hillier areas, like Toamasina.

Americas

Canada

In Canada there are pedicabs in operation in Victoria, British Columbia and Vancouver, British Columbia. They are regulated in Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Mexico

In Mexico, they are called ''bicitaxi'' or ''taxi ecologico'' (literally "ecological taxi").

United States

In many major cities, pedicabs can be found rolling about city centers, nightlife districts, park lands, sports stadia, and tourist-heavy areas. Myriad uses have been discovered in the states, including car-park-to-event transport at large events nationwide. Thousands of pedicabs today operate on streets in locales including Green Bay and Milwaukee, WI; Austin, Tx; Manhattan, NY; Chicago; San Diego; Boston; San Francisco; Miami; Washington, D.C.; Denver; Portland, OR; Seattle; Charleston; New Orleans; Nashville; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; Philadelphia; and dozens of other hot spots. Manhattan sports the largest collection of pedicabs operating within city limits, and the City of New York itself has mandated that approximately 850 pedicabs always sport operating permits issued by the city. Pedicabs in the United States seem to have gotten their start at the

1962 World's Fair The Century 21 Exposition (also known as the Seattle World's Fair) was a world's fair held April 21, 1962, to October 21, 1962, in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States.Seattle.

Asia

Bangladesh

Cycle rickshaws (রিকশা ''riksha'') are the most popular modes of transport in Bangladesh and are available for hire throughout the country including the capital city Dhaka, known as the "Rickshaw Capital of the World". They are either pedal or motor-powered. They were introduced here about 1938 and by the end of the 20th century there were 300,000+ cycle rickshaws in Dhaka. Approximately 400,000 cycle rickshaws run each day. Cycle rickshaws in Bangladesh are also more convenient than the other public modes of transports in the country namely auto rickshaws, cabs and buses. They are mostly ''convertible'', decorated, rickshaws with folding hoods and are the only kind of vehicles that can be driven in many neighbourhoods of the city with narrow streets and lanes. However, increasing traffic congestion and the resulting collisions have led to the banning of rickshaws on many major streets in the city. Urban employment in Bangladesh also largely depend on cycle rickshaws. Because of inflation and unemployment in the rural areas, people from villages crowd in the cities to become rickshaw drivers locally called the ''riksha-wala'' (রিকশাওয়ালা).

Cambodia

Cycle rickshaws are known as ''cyclo'' (pronounced see-clo) in Cambodia, derived from the French ''cyclo''.

China

Since the 1950s, when the pulled rickshaw was phased out, mid-city and large city passengers may travel using three-wheeled pedicabs, or cycle rickshaws. The

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

term for the conveyance is ''sanlunche'' (三轮车). The vehicles may be pedal- or motor-powered. In Shanghai, most of the vehicles are powered by electricity. Tourists are warned to beware of over-charging vendors, especially who wear an "old fashioned costume" or are located near tourist locations. Whilst many local tourism authorities still issue licences for rickshaw drivers to carry passengers, authorities in China are tightening rules in order to alleviate cheating of tourists and to reduce traffic congestion (e.g. a typical Chinese cycle-rickshaw will travel at less than 10kmh and is wide enough to fill an entire motor or bicycle lane and therefore are blamed as a major cause of traffic congestion), and have been banned in many cities already.

India

The first attempt of improving the existing cycle rickshaws and then converting them to electric ones was done by the

Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) is a non-governmental organisation and non-profit research and development institute in Tambmal, Phaltan, Maharashtra, India. The institute undertakes research and development in the fields of agri ...

in the late 1990s.

=Service availability

= Cycle rickshaws were used in Kolkata starting about 1930 and are now common in rural and urban areas of India.

=Ecocabs and similar service

Navdeep Asija Navdeep Asija (born in Fazilka, Punjab, India) is the founder of dial-a-cycle rickshaw concept known as Ecocabs and won the 2011 National Award of Excellence by Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India. Asija holds Ph.D. degree in ro ...

started a dial-a-cycle rickshaw concept known as Ecocabs, Environmental friendly Ecocabs operate in the Punjab towns of Fazilka,

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

. Central Delhi and Kolkata. Passengers may call to request transport service, similar to dial-up taxi cab operations. In November 2010, Patiala GreenCABS, similar to Ecocabs, were introduced in the city by the local

non governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

(NGO) the Patiala Foundation.

=Financing

= In West Bengal the

Rotaract Club Rotaract originally began as a Rotary International youth program in 1968 aCharlotte North Rotary Clubin Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, and has grown into a major organization of 10,680 (14 Sep 2022) clubs spread around the world and ...

of Serampore finances cycle rickshaw purchases so that unemployed people can begin their own rickshaw business. The loans are repaid from the workers' earnings. When paid in full, the rickshaw workers own their rickshaw and other unemployed individuals are entered into the program.

=Soleckshaw

= The Soleckshaw is a battery-electric assisted cycle rickshaw. The battery is designed to be charged or exchanged at centralised solar-powered charging stations. Developed by the

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada''), abbreviated as CSIR, was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the l ...

, it was launched in Delhi in October 2008. However, in September 2010 it was reported that no Soleckshaws had been sold on a commercial basis, and the approximately 30 demonstration units, initially deployed in Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Delhi, Dhanbad, Durgapur, Jaipur and Kolkata, were "not in operation due to various local administrative and management problems", and the charging stations "are not being used at this point of time as the vehicles are not in operation at those locations". The

2010 Union budget of India The 2010 Union budget of India was presented by Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha on Friday, February 26, 2010. Highlights * The Indian economy was facing grave uncertainty. Growth had started decelerating when the interim an ...

had a concessional excise duty of 4% on solar cycle rickshaws.

Indonesia

Cycle rickshaws in Indonesia are called ''becak'' (pronounced ). They began being used in Jakarta about 1936. ''Becak'' were considered an icon of the capital city of Jakarta prior to its ban in the 1970s. Citing concerns of public order, the city government forbade them on the city's main streets. Scenes of the anti-''becak'' campaign appear in the 1975 Canadian film ''Wet Earth and Warm People'', a documentary by Michael Rubbo. Despite the attempts at eradication, however, many ''becak'' still operate near

slum A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily inh ...

s throughout the city. Attempts at reinforcing the ban resulted in large-scale seizures of the vehicle in the late 1990s and in 2007. In 2018, Governor

Anies Baswedan Anies Rasyid Baswedan (born 7 May 1969) is an Indonesian academic, activist, and politician who served as the Governor of Jakarta from 2017 to 2022, as an Independent. A student activist and political analyst before entering public service, he s ...

attempted to allow ''becak'' again because of a political contract with becak drivers during his campaign. There are two types of "becak" in Indonesia: the first type is the driver sitting behind the passenger (similar to Dutch-style

cargo bike A cargo bike (also known as a box bike, carrier cycle, freight bicycle, cycletruck, or freight tricycle) is a human powered vehicle designed and constructed specifically for transporting loads. Cargo bike designs include a cargo area consisting o ...

s), the other one which mainly found in Sumatra is the driver sitting beside the passenger. "Becak" is still being used in various part of Indonesia, especially in smaller cities and town.

Malaysia

In Malaysia, pedestrian-pulled rickshaws were gradually replaced by cycle rickshaws (''beca'' in

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

, from Hokkien ''bé-chhia'' 馬車 "horse cart"). Cycle rickshaws were ubiquitous up to the 1970s in cities. Since then, rapid urbanisation has increased demand for more efficient public transport, resulting in dwindling cycle rickshaw numbers. Today, cycle rickshaws are operated mostly as a tourist attraction, with small numbers operating in

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

, Kelantan and Terengganu.

Myanmar

In Myanmar, cycle rickshaws or trishaws ( my, ဆိုက်ကား) (saik kar, directly pronounced as in the English word 'side car') came first into wide use in 1938, when the year-1300 revolution, which originated from the Chauk oil-field strike, inspired the people in

Mandalay Mandalay ( or ; ) is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. Located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631km (392 miles) (Road Distance) north of Yangon, the city has a population of 1,225,553 (2014 census). Mandalay was fo ...

to have a consciousness of nationalism and to boycott British goods and services. The auto body technician Saya Nyo built the first trishaw in Mandalay by attaching a side-car to the side of an old bicycle. So two passengers are on the right of the driver. Only two forms of transportation were then available in the city; the cab and the electric train. The latter could run only on six-mile tracks. Trishaws could reach every nook and cranny, so the spirit of nationalism plus the advantage of trishaws reaching everywhere made them so popular among Mandalayans that even the train company had to stop its business.

Nepal

In the Terai region of Nepal, cycle rickshaws are still the most popular means of public transport for short-distance commuting. Most big cities in the Terai have hundreds of cycle rickshaws that carry local commuters and travellers, and are also used for carrying goods. Since the Terai region is bordered with India, cycle rickshaws are also popular means for shoppers, businessmen and travellers to travel in and out of the country freely. The free border between India and Nepal enable the rickshaw owners from both countries to operate across the border without any restriction.
However, in Hilly regions of Nepal, cycle rickshaws are primarily used to attract tourists who can relax and travel around the popular streets and markets at reasonable fares. Cycle rickshaws are particularly popular among tourists to roam around the popular streets and markets of Thamel, Kathmandu.

Pakistan

The Cycle and Pulled rickshaw were banned in Pakistan in November 1991.

Philippines

In the Philippines, it is called a pedicab, traysikad, trisikad — or simply sikad or padyak, from the Philippine word meaning to tramp or stamp one's feet. It is made by mounting a sidecar to a regular bicycle. They are used mainly to ferry passengers short distances along smaller, more residential streets, often to or from jeepneys or other

public utility vehicle Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

s. They are also used for transporting cargo too heavy to carry by hand and over a distance too short or roads too congested for motor transport, such as a live pig. During

rainy seasons The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...

, they are useful as a way to avoid walking through flood waters. Along with the jeepney, the motorcycle-powered tricycle, and the engine-powered kuliglig, the open-air pedicab provides shade when needed.

Thailand

In Thailand, any three-wheeler is called ''samlor'' ( th, สามล้อ, which literally means "three wheels"), whether motorised or not, including pedicabs, motorcycles with attached vending carts or sidecars, etc. The driver is also called ''samlor''.

Vietnam

Cycle rickshaws are known as ' (pronounced sick-low, from the French ') in Vietnam. Cyclo was an invention of a french named P. Coupeaid, which was introduced in Cambodia and

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

in 1939. From 2008 to 03/2012, due to the traffic obstruction, cyclos were totally forbidden in

Ho Chi Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

and other provinces, except cyclo tours organised by tourist agencies. Another similar vehicle, a pedicab called ''xe lôi'' of the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...

, are now rarely found in some provinces such as

Sóc Trăng Sóc Trăng () is a city in Vietnam. It is the capital of Sóc Trăng Province. It was upgraded from a town (thị xã) to a city following decree 22/2007/NĐ-CP on 8 February 2007. Name The name is believed to be derived from the Khmer langu ...

Vĩnh Long Vĩnh Long () is a city and the capital of Vĩnh Long Province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Vĩnh Long covers and has a population of 147,039 (as of 2009). The name was spelled 永隆 ("eternal prosperity") in the former Hán Nôm writing syst ...

and Châu Đốc. They are on their way to disappear. '' Cyclo'', a 1995 film about a cyclo driver, won the

Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguishe ...

at the

52nd Venice International Film Festival The 52nd annual Venice International Film Festival was held between 30 August to 9 September 1995. Jury The following people comprised the 1995 jury: * Jorge Semprún (head of jury) * Guglielmo Biraghi (former head of the festival) * Jean-Pierr ...

Europe

Cycle rickshaws, also called pedicabs, are used in most large continental European cities.

Denmark

Copenhagen and Odense have pedicab service.

Finland

Cycle rickshaws are available for rent at Kaivopuisto in Helsinki. The rental company brought the vehicles from the city of Lappeenranta in 2009.

France

Most French cities have one or more pedicabs, locally known as PussPuss or VeloTaxi. Most common in Paris,

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

, Lyon,

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

and

Valence Valence or valency may refer to: Science * Valence (chemistry), a measure of an element's combining power with other atoms * Degree (graph theory), also called the valency of a vertex in graph theory * Valency (linguistics), aspect of verbs rel ...

, these cities operate 1 or more units. France have pedicab vendors.

Germany

Lake Constance Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, ca ...

, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dresden and Hamburg offer cycle rickshaw, also called pedicab, service.

=Velotaxi

= In the 1990s, German-made cycle rickshaws called velotaxis were created. They are about 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of regular taxis. Velotaxis are three-wheeled vehicles with a "space-age lightweight plastic cab that is open on both sides", a space for a driver, and behind the driver, space for two passengers. They have been made in Berlin, Germany, by Ludger Matuszewski, the founder of "Velotaxi GmbH" company. Velotaxis are often used for group functions like weddings. Under German traffic laws, transporting people on bicycles was forbidden.

=Electric assist pedicabs

= Berlin's Senate, police, and taxi associations finally agreed that the "cult-flitzer" could be integrated into the city's traffic flow. Germany's highest court later ruled that transporting people on bikes was legal. It is a modern and newly designed pedicab (CityCruiser) with a 500-watt electric assist motor. Although these electric-assist pedicabs were engineered in Germany they are manufactured in the Czech Republic and some clones are now also produced in China. The Chinese clone can be purchased for about 3,000 US dollars; the German original is around 6,000 US dollars ( the newest version, 9000+

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

). The batteries last about 4 hours with a full charge. As with a few recumbent and semi-recumbent designs, some drivers may suffer with knee and joint pain due to the weight of the vehicle (145 kg).

Hungary

Pedicab service is available in Budapest.

Ireland

Pedicabs operate in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

and Dublin, Ireland.

Italy

Pedicab service is available in Florence, Milan, Rome, Bari.

The Netherlands

Pedicab service is available in Amsterdam, The Hague and in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, at Willemstad. Thomas Lundy of Amsterdam adapted his battery-electric assisted cycle rickshaw to become what he terms "semi-solar powered", resulting in a video report on Reuters.

Norway

Pedicab service is available in Oslo, Fredrikstad, Bergen, Porsgrunn and Tønsberg.

Poland

During World War II, when Poland was under Nazi German occupation, the German authorities confiscated most privately owned cars and many of the streetcars and

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

es. Because of that, public transport was partially replaced by cycle rickshaws, at first improvised and with time mass-produced by bicycle factories. Cycle rickshaws became popular in Warsaw and by the start of the Warsaw Uprising were a common sight on the city's streets. Pedicabs still can be found in most large cities in Poland from Łódź to Warsaw.

Spain

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in th ...

, Barcelona, Zaragoza,

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

San Sebastian and Seville have pedicab service.

United Kingdom

Cycle rickshaws operate in central London, including Soho,

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester ...

, and

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

Pedal Me Pedal Me is an e-cargo bike logistics company in London. The company was founded in 2017 by Benjamin Knowles, a transport planner, Rob Sargent, an astrophysicist and technologist, and Chris Dixon, a National Standards Instructor for Cycling. ...

is a pedicab company using electric cargo bikes to transport passengers and cargo across Central and Inner London. Rickshaws and pedicabs are found in the centre of Edinburgh where vendors are hired like taxis and provide tours. Pedicabs and their variants are also available in Oxford.

Oceania

Australia

Two companies operate pedicabs in Sydney. Pedapod operate 'pod' styled cabs from Queen Victoria Buildings to Circular Quay. Tikki Tikki Australia operate more advanced 'classic' styled cabs from the Central Railway Station to Circular Quay and up to Kings Cross and down to Star City Casino.Tikki Tikki also has pedicabs and rickshaws in London and Vancouver Pedicabs are also found in Brisbane, Melbourne, Darwin, Perth, Gold Coast, Cairns, Townsville, Newcastle, and Byron Bay.

New Zealand

New Zealand has had pedicabs since the early 1990s. Auckland currently has 19 bikes mainly run by Bikeman and a few owner-operators. Queenstown also has a fleet of Danish-made rickshaws run by a local entrepreneur.

Economic, social and political aspects

Economics

In many Asian cities where they are widely used, cycle rickshaw driving provides essential employment for recent immigrants from rural areas, generally impoverished men. One study in Bangladesh showed that cycle rickshaw driving was connected with some increases in income for poor agricultural labourers who moved to urban areas, but that the extreme physical demands of the job meant that these benefits decreased for long-term drivers.Begum, Sharifa and Binayak Sen (2005). Pulling rickshaws in the city of Dhaka: a way out of poverty? ''Environment and Urbanization'' 17(2):11-25. In

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

, most cycle rickshaw drivers in the 1980s were former

landless Landlessness is the quality or state of being without land, without access to land, or without having private ownership of land. Although overlapping considerably, landlessness is not a necessary condition of poverty. In modern capitalist societies, ...

agricultural labourers from rural areas of Java.Azuma, Yoshifumi (2003). ''Urban peasants: beca drivers in Jakarta''. Jakarta: Pustaka Sinar Harapan. In 2003, Dhaka cycle rickshaw drivers earned an estimated average of Tk 143 (

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

2.38) per day, of which they paid about Tk 50 (US$0.80) to rent the cycle rickshaw for a day. Older, long-term drivers earned substantially less. A 1988–89 survey found that Jakarta drivers earned a daily average of Rp. 2722 (US$1.57). These wages, while widely considered very low for such physically demanding work, do in some situations compare favourably to jobs available to unskilled workers.Gallagher, Rob (1992). ''The rickshaws of Bangladesh''. Dhaka: The University Press Limited. In many cities, most drivers do not own their own cycle rickshaws; instead, they rent them from their owners, some of whom own many cycle rickshaws. Driver-ownership rates vary widely. In Delhi, a 1980 study found only one per cent of drivers owned their vehicles, but ownership rates in several other Indian cities were much higher, including fifteen per cent in Hyderabad and twenty-two per cent in Faridabad. A 1977 study in

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

, Thailand found that 44% of cycle rickshaw drivers were owners. In Bangladesh, driver-ownership is usually highest in rural areas and lowest in the larger cities. Most cycle rickshaws in that country are owned by individuals who have only one or two of them, but some owners in the largest cities own several hundred.

Social aspects

In 2012 Ole Kassow, a resident of Copenhagen, wanted to help the elderly get back on their bicycles, but he had to find a solution to their limited mobility. The answer was a cycle rickshaw, and he started offering free cycle rickshaw rides to residents of a nearby nursing home. He then got in touch with a civil society consultant at the City of Copenhagen, Dorthe Pedersen, who was intrigued by the idea, and together they bought five cycle rickshaws and launched an organisation called

Cycling Without Age Cycling Without Age (CWA) is a nonprofit organization founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2012. By 2020, this initiative had expanded into 50 countries, serving over 1.5 million people worldwide. The purpose of ''Cycling Without Age'' is: "to ...

, which has now spread to all corners of Denmark, and since 2015 to another 50 countries around the world.

Legislation

Some countries and cities have banned or restricted cycle rickshaws. They are often prohibited in congested areas of major cities. For example, they were banned in Bangkok in the mid-1960s as not fitting the modern image of the city being promoted by the government. In Dhaka and Jakarta, they are no longer permitted on major roads, but are still used to provide transportation within individual urban neighbourhoods. They are banned entirely in Pakistan. While they have been criticised for causing congestion, cycle rickshaws are also often hailed as environmentally-friendly, inexpensive modes of transportation. In Taiwan, the Road Traffic Security Rules require pedicabs to be registered by their owners with the police before they can be legally driven on public roads, or risk an administrative fine of 300 new Taiwan dollars (TWD). Their drivers must carry the police registration documents or risk a fine of 180 TWD, but no driver licence is required. The administrative fines are based on Articles 69 and 71 of the Act Governing the Punishment of Violation of Road traffic Regulations. As Taiwanese road traffic is now heavily motorised, most pedicabs have been replaced by taxicabs, but they can still be found at limited places, such as Cijin District of Kaohsiung City. Electric-assist pedicabs were banned in New York City in January 2008, the city council decided to allow pedicabs propelled only by muscle power. The city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has decided not to issue permits to electric-assist pedicabs.

Arts

As a key part of the urban landscape in many cities, cycle rickshaws have been the subject of films and other artwork, as well as being extensively decorated themselves. The cycle rickshaw in Dhaka is especially well known as a major medium for Bengali folk art, as plasticine cutouts and handpainted figures adorn many cycle rickshaws.Kirkpatrick, Joanna. (2003) ''Transports of Delight: The Ricksha Arts of Bangladesh''. Indiana University Press. Multimedia CDROM. Films featuring cycle rickshaws and their drivers include

Kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

and Sammo Hung's 1989 martial arts film ''

Pedicab Driver ''Pedicab Driver'' () is a 1989 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by and starring Sammo Hung, who portrays the leader of a crew of cycle rickshaw drivers in 1930s Macau. The movie features guest appearances by Eric Tsang, Corey Yuen and Lau ...

'', which dealt with a group of pedicab drivers and their problems with romance and organised crime. '' Cyclo'', a 1995 film by Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung, is centered on a cycle rickshaw driver.

Tollywood Tollywood may refer to: * Tollywood (Bengali cinema), the Bengali-language film industry based in West Bengal. ** Tollygunge Tollygunge (Bengali: টালিগঞ্জ; nicknamed 'Mini Mumbai' or 'Mini Bombay') is a locality of South Kolkat ...

films with cycle rickshaw themes include ''Orey Rickshaw'' ("Orey" literally means "Hey", in a derogatory tone), which tells a story sympathising with the downtrodden, and ''Rickshavodu'' ("Rickshaw Guy").

Gallery

File:BECA (17).JPG, An extensively decorated trishaw in Melaka. File:Singapore Raffles Hall trishaw.jpg, A trishaw and rider at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. File:A rickshaw puller in bangladesh.jpg, A Cycle rickshaw puller in

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

, Bangladesh. File:Indonesia bike5.JPG, A ''becak'' and its driver wait for a fare in

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

, Indonesia. File:Trishaws in downtown Singapore - 20060529.jpg, Trishaws are used to ferry tourists around the city for sightseeing in Singapore. File:Cincinnati Rickshaw.jpg, Cycle Rickshaw in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. File:Rickshaws Dhaka.jpg, Cycle rickshaws in Dhaka, Bangladesh. File:Rickshaw Parking at Dhaka (9601873282).jpg, Cycle rickshaw parking in Bangladesh. File:Rickshaw Phnom Penh.JPG, A cycle rickshaw driver in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

, Cambodia. File:Taiwan road sign Art073.09.png, Taiwanese Prohibitory Sign P9: No Pedicabs.

Notes

References

External links

Becak Yogya
{{Authority control Cycle types Vehicles for hire Taxi vehicles Rickshaws