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Rickshaw

Rickshaws were hand-drawn taxi-cabs of early Singapore. They originated from Japan and came to Singapore in 1880, becoming a major form of public transport and a primary source of income for the thousands of Chinese immigrants to Singapore between the 1880s to the 1930s.

History
Invented in Japan in 1869, the name jinrickshaw is an aberration of jinrikisha, the Japanese name for the vehicle which literally translated means "man-powered carriage". Some claim the rickshaw was invented not by a Japanese but by Jonathan Gable, an American missionary who had designed it for the comfort of his wife. Others believe the rickshaw evolved out of the two-man sedan chair popularly used in China. Used initially as private vehicles patronised by noble families, it soon became a popular means of travel with more than 150,000 such vehicles in Japan merely 10 years after its invention. Its name was shortened to rickshaw at the turn of the century as the vehicle's popularity spread through to the Asian region. Introduced by the Chinese, the rickshaw had made its appearance in India by 1900, and reached as far as South Africa, establishing itself particularly in Durban where they were pulled by Zulus. Today, hand-drawn rickshaws serving as public transportation can only be found in Calcutta. Other cities may have them but only as tourist attractions, its use superseded by trishaws and motorised 3-wheelers.

Rickshaws were introduced in Singapore on 16 February 1880, the same year it was brought to Shimla in the Himalayas but some time before it first appeared in Beijing in 1886. The first consignment came from Shanghai, but subsequent rickshaws were imported from Japan. Even so, these were of third-class quality with iron-rimmed wheels and bodies made of pine wood, but they were sold at a hefty $25 in 1881. Competing with the gharry drivers or two-wheeled horse carriages and inevitably causing its demise, the rickshaw proved a cheaper and faster mode of transportation. Rickshaws numbered by the hundreds, requiring a Jinrickshaw Ordinance (Ordinance V) to be passed in 1892 and a special Municipal department created to look into their matters. The Jinrickshaw Station at the junction of Neil Road and Tanjong Pagar Road served as a busy interchange for travellers and pullers alike. After WWII, trishaws replaced the rickshaws particularly after the rickshaw was banned in 1947.

Description
Unlike the single-seaters in Hong Kong, Singapore's rickshaws were double-seaters, a feasible load because the roads here were less hilly and steep. It was only in 1904 that first-class single-seaters were introduced. These had "English wooden furniture" and "Indian rubber-cushion-tyre wheels". Rickshaw pullers could earn more and their loads were lessened as the single-seater's capacity was smaller. By 1919, the iron-wheeled double-seater rickshaws were no longer found in Singapore.

In 1890, instructions were given that the seat cushions, back and hood of the rickshaw had to be lined with American cloth as the original Japanese red cloth stained passenger clothes when wet and could not withstand the tropical weather here. Lamps on the rickshaws helped guide the pullers through night traffic. By early 1900s, tail-lights were required and rear reflectors were made mandatory in 1939.

Rickshaws were used by both Europeans and locals alike, upper and lower class. Aside from passengers, rickshaws also carried goods, manure and even cadavers. Commuters used it for getting to work, ferrying children to school or going to social gatherings. Rickshaws could last for at least 5 years with regular maintenance. Purchase costs were high, amounting to at least a year's salary of a rickshaw puller in 1917. In an attempt to cut costs, rickshaws were produced locally in 1921 but this product proved inferior compared to Japanese-made rickshaws.

Variant Names
Jinrickshaw; jinricksha, jinrikisha, rikisha, rickshas (old spelling).



Author
Bonny Tan



References 
Liu, G. (1999). Singapore: A pictorial history 1819-2000 (pp. 120, 121, 122, 218 219). Singapore: Archipelago Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 LIU) 

Makepeace, W., Brooke, G. E., & Braddell, R. St. J. (Eds.). (1991). One hundred years of Singapore (Vol 1, pp. 331-332). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 ONE)

Reith, G. M. (1985). Handbook to Singapore (pp. 90-91) Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.57022 REI) 

Warren, J. F. (1986). Rickshaw coolie: A people's history of Singapore, 1880-1940. (pp. 14, 51-81). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 301.4444095957 WAR) 

Wheeler, T. (1998). Chasing rickshaws (pp. 180-183, 186-187). Melbourne: Lonely Planet Publications.
(Call no.: R 388.341 WHE) 

The land transport of Singapore: From early times to the present (pp. 7-18, 62-64). (1984). Singapore: Educational Publications Bureau.
(Call no.: RSING 779.9388095957 LAN) 

Next time, make sure he wears a straw hat. (1998, April 25). The Straits Times, Life!, pp. 10, 11.

Rickshaw emerged after 'jin' was dropped. (1998, February 10). The Straits Times, Forum, p. 42.


Further Readings
Wise, M. (Ed.). (1996). Travellers' tales of old Singapore (pp. 141-142, 152-157). Brighton: In Print Publishing.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 TRA) 

Singapore: Facts and Pictures (p.192). (1997). Singapore: Ministry of Information and the Arts.
(Call no. RSING 959.57 SMCFPC) 

Going places in the old days (1988, December 2). The Straits Times.


List of Images
Singapore historical postcards from the National Archives collection (pp. 52, 54-61). (1988). Singapore: Times Editions.
(Call no.: R SING 769.4995957 SIN)

The land transport of Singapore: From early times to the present (pp. 7-18). (1984). Singapore: Educational Publications Bureau.
(Call no.: SING 779.9388095957 LAN)

Wise, M. (Ed.). (1996). Travellers' tales of old Singapore (pp. 140). Brighton: In Print Publishing.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 TRA)

The information in this article is valid as at 1997 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Commerce and Industry>>Transportation
Rickshaws--Singapore
Business, finance and industry>>Economics>>Labour economics

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