Auto rickshaw
The most common type is characterized by a sheet-metal body or open frame resting on three wheels; a canvas roof with drop-down side curtains; a small cabin at the front for the driver operating handlebar controls; and a cargo, passenger, or dual purpose space at the rear.
Later that decade the Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Japan distributed about 20,000 used three-wheelers to Southeast Asia as part of efforts to expand its influence in the region.
[3][4][5][6] They became popular in some areas, especially Thailand, which developed local manufacturing and design after the Japanese government abolished the three-wheeler license in Japan in 1965.
[8] An exception is the indigenously modified Philippine tricycle, which originates from the Rikuo Type 97 motorcycle with a sidecar, introduced to the islands in 1941 by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
[9] In Europe, Corradino D'Ascanio, aircraft designer at Piaggio and inventor of the Vespa, came up with the idea of building a light three-wheeled commercial vehicle to power Italy's post-war economic reconstruction.
It is generally rare to find in some affluent and newer parts of cities such as New Cairo and Heliopolis; and on highways due to police control and enforcement.
[10] Due to extreme congestion in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities combined with the insensible cost of vehicles in relation to frequent violence, rickshaws have been imported from India in large numbers to provide taxi service and other purposes, in stark contrast to previous attitudes of the pre-U.S. 2003 invasion eras with rickshaws being disdained and sedans being held in high regard as a status symbol.
In Lagos, for example, the "keke" (Hausa for bicycle) is regulated and transportation around the state's highways is prohibited while in Kano it's popularly known as "Adaidaita Sahu".
Thus, since January 2003, traditional auto rickshaws were banned from the capital; only the new natural gas-powered models (CNG) were permitted to operate within the city limits.
[citation needed][nb 1] To augment speedy movement of traffic, auto rickshaws are not allowed in the southern part of Mumbai.
Six-seater rickshaws exist in different parts of the country, but the model was officially banned in the city of Pune on 10 January 2003 by the Regional Transport Authority (RTA).
The story goes that shortly after Independence a stock of Harley-Davidson motorbikes were found that had been used by British troops during World War II and left behind in a military storage house in Delhi.
[46] Auto rickshaws are a popular mode of transport in Pakistani towns[47] and are mainly used for travelling short distances within cities.
Bajaj enjoys a virtual monopoly in the island, with its agent being David Pieries Motor Co, Ltd.[49] A few three-wheelers in Sri Lanka have distance meters.
[51]In Indonesia, auto rickshaws are popular in Jakarta as Bajay, Java, Medan and Gorontalo as Bentor, and some parts of Sulawesi and other places in the country.
In Jakarta, the auto rickshaws are called Bajay or Bajaj and they are the same to as the ones in India but are colored blue (for the ones which use compressed natural gas) and orange (for normal gasoline fuel).
Outside of Jakarta, the bentor-style auto rickshaw is ubiquitous, with the passenger cabin mounted as a sidecar (like in Medan) or in-front (like the ones in some parts of Sulawesi) to a motorcycle.
Americans tried to introduce it in the early 20th century, but it was strongly opposed by local Filipinos who viewed it as an undignified mode of transport that turned humans into "beasts".
[57] Another notable variant is the tricycles of the Batanes Islands which have cabs made from wood and roofed with thatched cogon grass.
Tricycles are one of the main contributors to air pollution in the Philippines,[60][61] which account for 45% of all volatile organic compound emissions[62] since majority of them employ two-stroke engines.
[74] Auto rickshaws have been commonly used in Italy since the late 1940s, providing a low-cost means of transportation in the post–World War II years when the country was short of economic resources.
It has recently been re-launched as a trendy-ecological means of transportation, or, relying on the role the Ape played in the history of Italian design, as a promotional tool.
[79] Auto rickshaws are rarely seen in the United States, However there are companies that operate them as taxis, affordable transportation services, or rentals, usually in urban areas like Tuk Tuk Chicago in Chicago, Capital Tuk-Tuk in Sacramento, eTuk Ride Denver in Denver, the Boston rickshaw company in Boston and several more.
[95][96][97] Ikea did a trial run using Electric Auto Rickshaws in Sydney, Australia to deliver packages to customers from May to August 2023.
[104][102] In July 1998, the Supreme Court of India ordered the government of Delhi to implement CNG or LPG (Autogas) fuel for all autos and for the entire bus fleet in and around the city.
Gradually, many state governments passed similar laws, thus shifting to CNG or LPG vehicles in most large cities to improve air quality and reduce pollution.
Research has shown LPG or CNG gas direct-injection can be retrofitted to existing engines, in similar fashion to the Envirofit system.
[citation needed] Hydrogen internal combustion (HICV) use in three-wheelers has only recently being started to be looked into, mainly by developing countries, to decrease local pollution at an affordable cost.
[112] They made a report on it called "Clean Hydrogen Technology for 3-Wheel Transportation in India" and it stated that the performance was comparable with CNG autos.
Rickshaw Run teams are given the start and finish lines, but are otherwise unsupported and left to their own navigational choices in completing the approximately 2,300 km journey.
