The cycle rickshaw is a small-scale local means of transport. It is a type of 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.
While the Pulled rickshaw is pulled by a person on foot, the cycle rickshaw is human-powered by pedaling. By contrast, the auto rickshaw is motorized.
Overview
The first cycle rickshaws were built in the 1880s and were first used widely in 1929 in Singapore. Six years later, they outnumbered pulled rickshaws there. 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 worldwide.
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 with bicycle trailer are configured as cycle rickshaws.
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
countries, like
Bangladesh,
India, and
China, the passenger seat is located behind the driver, while in
Indonesia,
Malaysia,
Cambodia, and
Vietnam the cyclist driver sits behind the passenger. In the
Philippines, the passenger seats are usually located beside the driver in a side car. Similar to this, passengers sit alongside the driver in both
trishaw, in
Singapore, and the
sai kaa, in
Burma.
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 is another version of becak but with engines, not manual pedals
-
traysikad, trisikad, sikad, or padyak (used in the Philippines)
Country overview
Not only are cycle rickshaws used in Asian countries, but they are also used in some cities in Europe and North America. 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
gear ratio, 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, 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 stadiums, 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, Wisconsin; Austin, Texas; Manhattan, New York; Chicago, Illinois; San Diego and San Francisco, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Miami, Florida; Washington, D.C.; Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Charleston, South Carolina; New Orleans, Louisiana; Nashville, Tennessee; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 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 in 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.[RickshawArt.org Website of the social enterprise RickshawArt in Bangladesh. Dhaka.] 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 language 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 10 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 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 started a dial-a-cycle rickshaw concept known as Ecocabs,
Environmental friendly Ecocabs operate in the Punjab towns of
Fazilka,
.
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 (NGO) the Patiala Foundation.
Financing
In
West Bengal the
Rotaract 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, 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 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.
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 1971 Canadian film
Wet Earth and Warm People, a documentary by
Michael Rubbo.
[National Film Board of Canada, Wet Earth and Warm People, 1971] Despite the attempts at eradication, however, many
becak still operate near
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 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 ), 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
Pulled rickshaw were gradually replaced by cycle rickshaws (beca in
Malay Language, 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,
Penang,
Kelantan, and
Terengganu.
Myanmar
In Myanmar, cycle rickshaws or trishaws (, directly pronounced as in the English word 'side car') came first into wide use in 1938, when the 1300 Revolution, which originated from the
Chauk strike, inspired the people in
Mandalay 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 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 Hill Region of Nepal, cycle rickshaws are primarily used to attract tourists who can relax and travel around the popular streets and markets at reasonable fares.
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
or other public utility vehicles. 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, 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.
South Korea
The Korean term for cycle rickshaw is
illyeokgeo (인력거), which can be pedal- or motor-powered, though most in South Korea are electric. While not commonly used as a primary mode of transportation, cycle rickshaws can still be found in certain areas like Bukchon Hanok Village in
Seoul, where they operate mainly for tourism purposes.
Thailand
In
Thailand, any three-wheeler is called (), whether motorised or not, including pedicabs, motorcycles with attached vending carts or
, etc. The driver is also called
.
Vietnam
Cycle rickshaws are known as
xích lô (pronounced sick-low, from the French
cyclo) in Vietnam. Cyclo was an invention of a French named P. Coupeaid, which was introduced in
Cambodia and
sự>Phóng sự/Điều Tra Another similar vehicle, a pedicab called
xe lôi of the
/ref>
Cyclo, a 1995 film about a cyclo driver, won the Golden Lion at the 52nd Venice International Film Festival.
Beyond their practical utility, cyclos held cultural significance in Saigon. They appeared in literature, art, and cinema, becoming emblematic of the city's identity. From romantic rendezvous to everyday commutes, cyclos featured prominently in the daily lives of Saigonese residents.
Despite the challenges, efforts are underway to preserve the legacy of cyclo in Saigon. Some organizations are restoring vintage models, while others are promoting eco-friendly alternatives to traditional cyclos. These initiatives aim to celebrate the cultural heritage of these iconic vehicles and ensure their continued presence in the city.
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,
Lyon,
Montpellier and Valence, these cities operate one or more units. France have pedicab vendors.
Germany
Lake Constance,
,
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+
euro). 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 and
Dublin, Ireland.
Italy
Pedicab service is available in
Florence,
Milan,
, Bari.
The Netherlands
Pedicab service is available in
Amsterdam,
The Hague and in the
Caribbean, 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.[ (click on transcript to read)]
Norway
Pedicab service is available in
Oslo,
,
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
and
. 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,
Barcelona,
Zaragoza, Málaga, San Sebastian, and
Seville have pedicab service.
United Kingdom
Cycle rickshaws operate in central London, including
Soho,
,
Leicester Square, and
Covent Garden.
Pedal Me is a pedicab company using electric cargo bikes to transport passengers and cargo across Central and Inner London. In 2024, Transport for London was given powers to regulate pedicabs, including fare control, vehicle standards and driver licensing.
Rickshaws and pedicabs are found in the centre of Edinburgh where vendors are hired like taxis and provide tours.
Economic, social and political aspects
Economics
In many Asian cities where they are widely used, cycle rickshaw driving provides essential employment for recent
immigration 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, most cycle rickshaw drivers in the 1980s were former
landlessness 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 Bangladeshi taka 143 (US$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.[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, 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, 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 , 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, 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 and Sammo Hung's 1989 martial arts film Pedicab Driver, which dealt with a group of pedicab drivers and their problems with romance and organised crime. Cyclo, a 1995 film by director Tran Anh Hung, is centered on a cycle rickshaw driver. Tollywood 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, Bangladesh
File:Indonesia bike5.JPG|A becak and its driver wait for a fare in Bandung, Indonesia
File:Trishaws in downtown Singapore - 20060529.jpg|Trishaws are used to ferry 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, Cambodia
File:Taiwan road sign Art073.09.png|Taiwanese Prohibitory Sign P9: No Pedicabs
See also
Notes
External links
