Velotaxi

A velotaxi, also known as a pedicab, cycle rickshaw or trishaw (from tricycle rickshaw), is a human-powered vehicle for hire, usually with one or two seats for carrying passengers in addition to the driver.

The vehicle is powered by the driver pedalling as one would a bicycle, though some rare configurations also have an electric motor assisting the driver. The vehicle is usually a tricycle, though some quadricycles exist, and some bicycles with trailers are configured as velotaxis. The driver typically pedals in front of the passenger seat, though some vehicles have the driver in the rear.

Velotaxis are widely used all over Asia, where they have largely replaced less-efficient hand-pulled rickshaws that required the driver to walk or run while pulling the vehicle. Velotaxis are known as a cyclo (pronounced see-clo) in Cambodia and Vietnam, a cycle rickshaw in India, a trishaw in Singapore and a becak in Indonesia. They have been banned in Pakistan since the 1960s, and they are often prohibited in congested areas of major cities. For example, in Jakarta they are no longer permitted on major roads, but are still used to provide transportation within individual urban neighborhoods.

Velotaxis are also used in some European and North American cities such as San Diego, where they are most often found near tourist attractions. There are several American and European manufacturers of velotaxis, which often incorporate features not found in developing-world vehicles, such as hydraulic disc brakes and lightweight fibreglass bodies. Experimental velotaxis have been fitted with solar powered Internet terminals.

Film

The 1995 movie Cyclo, by Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung, centers around a velotaxi driver.

See also

• Freight bicycle
• Rickshaw
• Auto rickshaw

External links

• International Rickshawforum + list of manufacturers
• Yahoo Group Pedicab
• Velotaxi
• http://www.pedicab.com
• http://www.workbike.org/research/pedalline.html