Rickshaw
A human-powered vehicle that shaped urban transport in Asia.
A rickshaw, originally a pulled rickshaw, is a two- or three-wheeled cart generally pulled by one person and carrying one passenger. Over time, cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, and electric rickshaws were invented, largely replacing the original pulled rickshaws except in tourism. Pulled rickshaws became a popular form of transportation and a source of employment for male labourers in Asian cities in the 19th century, but their popularity declined with the rise of cars, trains, and other transport.
- origin_of_term
- Japanese jinrikisha (human-powered vehicle)
- likely_inventors
- Izumi Yosuke, Suzuki Tokujiro, Takayama Kosuke
- peak_in_Japan_by_1872
- about 40,000 rickshaws in service
- highest_number_today
- Bangladesh, with 40,000 rickshaws daily in Dhaka alone
Lore & Background
Other theories credit Reverend Jonathan Goble, an American missionary, or Albert Tolman, an American blacksmith, or James Birch, a carriage maker in New Jersey. The vehicle had a wooden carriage on superior Western wheels, a collapsible hood, and required one person to pull, though hilly areas needed more. In the late 19th century, hand-pulled rickshaws became an inexpensive, popular mode of transport across Asia. Peasants migrating to large Asian cities often worked first as rickshaw runners.
Reader's Guide
The rickshaw's significance lies in its role as a transitional mode of transport between human-powered sedan chairs and motorized vehicles. It provided employment for millions of male labourers in Asian cities during the 19th and early 20th centuries, often serving as a first job for rural migrants. However, after World War II, hand-pulled rickshaws became an embarrassment to modernizing urban elites and were widely banned, seen as symbols of feudal class distinctions. Cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, and electric rickshaws later emerged, with auto rickshaws gaining popularity in the 21st century as low-cost alternatives to taxis. The rickshaw's legacy endures in tourism and as a cultural icon.
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