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, 1860 - ca. 1900.jpg/58px-Rickshaw (Jinricki), 1860 - ca. 1900.jpg)
Japanese rickshaw (jinrikisha), 1886.
Japanese rickshaws c.1897
Rickshaws (or rickshas) are a mode of human-powered transport: a runner draws a two-wheeled cart which seats one or two persons. The word rickshaw came from Asia where they were mainly used as means of transportation for the social elite. However, in more recent times rickshaws have been outlawed in many countries in Asia due to numerous accidents.
Runner pulled rickshaws have mainly been replaced in Asia by bicycle rickshaws. They are also common in Western cities like New York City. In London they are known as pedicabs. The term "rickshaw" is today commonly used for those vehicles as well, but this article deals exclusively with runner-pulled rickshaws.
The word "rickshaw" originates from the Japanese word jinrikisha (人力車, 人 jin = human, 力 riki = strength, 車 sha = vehicle), which literally means "human-powered vehicle".
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Les Deux Carrosses by Claude Gillot, 1707
The 1707 painting "Les deux carrosses" by Claude Gillot shows two rickshaw-like carts in a comical scene. These carts, known as vinaigrettes because of their resemblance to the wheel barrows of vinegar makers, were used in the streets of Paris in the 17th and 18th century. (Fresnault-Deruelle, 2005)
Rickshaws first appeared in Japan around 1868, at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration. They soon became a popular mode of transportation, since they were faster than the previously used palanquins (and human labor was considerably cheaper than using horses).
The identity of the inventor (if there was one) remains uncertain. Some sources give the American blacksmith Albert Tolman, who is said to have invented the rickshaw around 1848 in Worcester, Massachusetts for a missionary; others claim that Jonathan Scobie (or W. Goble), an American missionary to Japan, invented rickshaws around 1869 to transport his invalid wife through the streets of Yokohama.
Still others say the rickshaw was designed by an American Baptist minister in 1888. This is undoubtedly incorrect, for an 1877 article by a The New York Times correspondent in Tokyo stated that the "jin-riki-sha, or man-power carriage" was in current popular use, and was probably invented by an American in 1869 or 1870.
A rumour currently circulating in the United Kingdom credits Richard Shaw, an unemployed taxi driver from Birmingham, as the inventor of the rickshaw. However, given that the rickshaw was in existence long before taxis were invented, this is highly unlikely.
Japanese sources often credit Izumi Yosuke, Suzuki Tokujiro, and Takayama Kosuke, who are said to have invented rickshaws in 1868, inspired by the horse carriages that had been introduced to the streets of Tokyo shortly before. Starting in 1870, the Tokyo government issued a permission to build and sell rickshaws to these three men; the seal of one of these inventors was also required on every license to operate a rickshaw.
By 1872, some 40,000 rickshaws were operating in Tokyo; they soon became the chief form of public transportation in Japan. (Powerhouse Museum, 2005; The Jinrikisha story, 1996)
Around 1880, rickshaws appeared in India, first in Simla and then, 20 years later, in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Here they were initially used by Chinese traders to transport goods; in 1914 the Chinese applied for permission to use rickshaws to transport passengers. Soon after, rickshaws appeared in many big cities in Southeast Asia; pulling a rickshaw was often the first job for peasants migrating to these cities.
Rickshaws (রিকশা riksha) in Bangladesh are cycle-powered, and are available for hire throughout the country; Bangladesh\'s capital is sometimes called the "City of Rickshaws".[WP:VERIFY] However, increasing traffic congestion and the resulting collisions have led to the banning of cycle rickshaws on many major streets in the city. Still, in many parts of Old Dhaka, rickshaws are the only kind of vehicle that can travel through the narrow streets. Rickshaw-pullers are known as রিকশাওয়ালা rikshawallah in Bangla.
Manual rickshaws were first used in China during the late 1800\'s, but most disappeared after 1949.
Later during the early 1990\'s, tricycle-powered rickshaws became an inexpensive and popular mode of transportation.
In 1997 a new rickshaw system was created in Berlin, Germany. It is a modern and newly designed vehicle (CityCruiser) and allows operators to use the riskshaws as advertising support. Within 10 years, CityCruisers\' activities have developed across the world, on all 5 continents.
Rickshaws were first imported from Japan to Hong Kong in 1874. They were a popular form of transport for many years, peaking at more than 3,000 in the 1920s. However, their popularity waned after World War II. No new licenses for rickshaws have been issued since 1975, and only a few old men—about four as of 2002—still ply their trade, mainly for tourists.
Kolkata rickshaw, 2004
As of 2005, the last sizeable fleet of true rickshaws can be found in Kolkata (Calcutta), where the rickshaw puller union resisted prohibition. Several major streets have been closed to rickshaw traffic since 1972, and in 1982 the city seized over 12,000 rickshaws and destroyed them. In 1992, it was estimated that over 30,000 rickshaws were operating in the city, all but 6,000 of them illegally, lacking a license (no new licenses have been issued since 1945). The large majority of rickshaw pullers rent their rickshaws for a few dollars per shift. They live cheaply in hostels, trying to save money to send home. (Eide, 1993)
In August 2005, the Communist government of West Bengal announced plans to completely ban rickshaws, resulting in protests and strikes of the pullers. (WebIndia, 2005)
They have finally officially been banned in November 2006 by an ordinance of the West Bengal government along with so far pending government promises of rehabitating the poor rickshaw pullers.
Rickshaw is a very common means of transport in almost every part of India. It is available were you cannot get a taxi, auto or any motorised transport. The rickshaw puller charges around Rs.5 to Rs.30 depending upon the distance which can be anywhere from 1 to 5 km. It is better to negotiate the charge before hiring a rickshaw in India.
A very efficient electric cycle rickshaw has been developed which can reduce the drugery of rickshaw puller and also give him an extra income.[1]
Matheran, India is a tourist hill station near Mumbai. It is an eco-sensitive zone where motor vehicles are banned so man-pulled rickshaws are still one of the major forms of transport there.
Rickshaws are still very much common in Tamil Nadu. Rickshaws are also present in some parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
Dublin first saw the humble rickshaw on its streets in 1996, a rickshaw company based in Canada set up a fleet of 20 rickshaws, building them from tubular steel, Dublin people used to call them the becks rickshaws on account of their advertising, however this company was actually called the original rickshaw company. The people of Dublin, both locals and tourists alike, were surprised at first to see the Far Eastern concept in Ireland. People began to use the rickshaws for getting about from pubs to pubs to clubs or for a quick ride around Temple Bar. Later that year 12 pedicab rickshaws were imported by a wine club owner named B. McDonald who started Pedicabs Ireland. A year later J. Ralf & J. Utah, former Pedicab Ireland riders, set up a small fleet of hand-pulled rickshaws called the Silver Rickshaw company. The last hand-pulled rickshaw Company was to be formed by ex-Pedicab Ireland Manager B. Wheeler. This was, in the summer of 2001, called simply The Rickshaw Co. The company quickly grew with six pedicabs added to its fleet of 12 newly built hand-pulled rickshaws. The attacks on America on 9/11/01 damaged the new industry and many of the companies above are no longer operating with the exception of the Silver Rickshaws.
.JPG/58px-National Museum KL 2008 (153).JPG)
beca from Parit Jawa, Muar, Johor, at the Muzium Negara
Pousse-pousse in Madagascar
Rickshaws were a common mode of transport in urban areas in the 19th and early 20th centuries. However, rickshaws were gradually replaced by cycle rickshaws (beca in Malay). Cycle rickshaws were also ubiquitous up to the 1970s in Malaysian cities. Since then, rapid urbanization has increased demand for more efficient public transport, resulting in dwindling rickshaw numbers. Today, rickshaws are operated mostly as a tourist attraction, with small numbers operating in Malacca, Penang, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Rickshaws, known as pousse-pousse, are a common form of transport in a number of Malagasy cities. They are often brightly decorated.
The many registered Zulu rickshaw pullers, with their gigantic hats and colourful clothing, are a major tourist attraction in the city of Durban.
Cycle rickshaws and jin ricksaws have officially been outlawed in Pakistan since the late 50s/early 60s. The country remains home to a large number of auto-rickshaws.
Pedicab rickshaws have been operating on the streets of Soho.
In many major cities, because yellow cabs licenses medallions are artificially capped, bicycle rickshaws have been used for about a decade.
Rickshaws are still present on the boardwalk of Atlantic City, N.J. They transport gamblers from one casino to another.
In the downtown areas of Vietnamese big cities, rickshaws are used as a mean of transportation, mostly for tourism.
Rickshaws are a tourist attraction in the Asakusa region of Tokyo; in the main temple area of Kyoto; in tourist heavy areas of Kamakura; on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong; on Cijin Island in Kaohsiung; in areas of London\'s Chinatown, Ottawa\'s Byward Market; in downtown Toronto; in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). In all of these places, they are mainly for tourists.
Rickshaw in a museum in Japan
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