In Melaka in the 1980s, trishaws – also called cycle rickshaws, pedal rickshaws, pedicabs or tricycles – were used as a poor person’s taxi. They were a charming, unhurried way to get around the town centre, which had far less traffic then.
You could get a close-up view of the streets and ask the driver to pull over anytime something interesting caught your eye. You were in tune with the leisurely pace of Melaka at the time.
But trishaws have transformed over the years.
Today, they are elaborately decorated with artificial flowers and fitted with boomboxes playing noisy music. They do not seem to stray far from the main square in front of Melaka’s old Dutch-era Stadhuys and Christ Church.
Trishaw drivers undoubtedly charge tourists a good sum for a quick spin around the block or to pose for a photo. Who can blame them? They have to make a living somehow, and there is not much money in trishaw-driving these days.
It is sad but inevitable that the trishaw, as a means of public transport, is facing extinction in Asia. The only hope is that larger parts of historic heritage sites like Melaka and George Town in Penang can be pedestrianised, making the conditions right for them.
They might have to charge tourist rates, which reach about RM30 per hour in Penang. This might attract younger people to do a bit of healthy trishaw driving in their spare time.
Different trishaw designs can be observed in different Asian countries. Malaysia and Singapore have the driver sitting slightly to the side of the passengers.
Thailand and Macau have the driver sitting in front of the passengers, while Vietnam and Indonesia have the passengers sitting in front of the driver.
In Macau in the early 1980s, it was quite common to take a triciclo from the ferry terminal. The fare would be cheaper than a taxi and you could negotiate before getting in.
Vietnam in 1993 was an ideal place for trishaw travel as there was very little traffic then. The cyclo in Hanoi is lower and wider than those in Saigon. Hanoi cyclos can hold two people, while those in Saigon are single-seaters.
Nowadays in Vietnam, the slow and cumbersome cyclo is banned in more places as they obstruct other vehicles.
This is generally the pattern throughout Asia, although in Bangladesh the trishaw is reportedly still going strong, apart from on the major roads.
Ironically, the cycle rickshaw seems to have made a comeback in the West as it is seen as an eco-friendly mode of transport and a healthy occupation.
Ultra-modern trishaws have apparently set up shop in places like London, New York, Germany and Ireland.
This article first appeared on Thrifty Traveller.