An Overview of the Auto-Rickshaw

The tuk-tuk, or the auto-rickshaw, is a three-wheeled motorized vehicle used as a taxi. It is most commonly seen in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Locals use them to get around big cities which is why they’re popular in densely populated cities, such as Bangkok, Thailand, or Mumbai, India. Most auto-rickshaws run off of gasoline, diesel, or CGN (compressed natural gas), but did you know that their first known use was actually over 100 years ago and that it was made in a country where it’s barely recognized today? Today we will be talking about the auto-rickshaw, its origins, and why it’s so popular today.

First off, where did it come from? Well, the auto-rickshaw originally came from the pulled rickshaw and cycle rickshaw, which was invented in Japan in the 1860s. The job of pulling or cycling the rickshaws was often seen as degrading and for peasants. From Japan, rickshaws began to be more popular in China and around 100 000 had been imported from Japan into Shanghai. A little later, the Indian city Shimla caught on, as well as Kolkata. However, Japan and China lost interest in the vehicle as automobiles took over in the 1920s-1930s. Though having lost use in their birthplace, the rickshaw moved to an entirely new continent, Africa. It is now used in Tanzania and other parts of East Africa for shorter ventures.