Origin[edit]
Daihatsu Midget Model DKA
In the 1930s Japan, which was the most industrialized
country in east Asia at the time, encouraged the
development of motorized vehicles including less
expensive three-wheeled vehicles based on motorcycles.
The Mazda-Go, a 3-wheel open "truck" released in 1931,
[2]
is often considered the first of what became auto
rickshaws. 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 .[7]
Production in Southeast Asia started from
the knockdown production of the Daihatsu Midget, which
was introduced in 1959.[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.
The Piaggio Ape followed suit in 1947.
Regional variations[edit]
Africa and the Middle East[edit]
Egypt[edit]
Locally named the "toktok," the rickshaw is used to
provide transportation in most parts of Egypt.
Gaza[edit]
Together with the recent boom of recreational facilities in
Gaza for the local residents, donkey carts have all but
been displaced by tuk-tuks in 2010. Due to the ban
by Egypt and Israel on the import of most motorised
vehicles, the tuk-tuks have had to be smuggled in parts
through the tunnel network connecting Gaza with Egypt.
[10]
Madagascar[edit]
In Madagascar, man-powered rickshaws are a common
form of transportation in a number of cities,
especially Antsirabe. They are known as "posy"
from pousse-pousse, meaning push-push. Cycle rickshaws
took off since 2006 in a number of flat cities
like Toamasina and replaced the major part of the posy,
and are now threatened by the auto rickshaws,
introduced in 2009. Provincial capitals like Toamasina,
Mahajanga, Toliara, and Antsiranana are taking to them
rapidly.[citation needed]
They are known as "bajaji" in the
north and "tuk-tuk" or "tik-tik" in the east, and are now
licensed to operate as taxis.[citation needed]
They are not yet
allowed an operating licence in the congested, and more
polluted national capital, Antananarivo.[citation needed][11][12][13]
Nigeria[edit]
Aerial view of autorickshaw congestion from a pedestrian
bridge in Uyo, Southeast Nigeria
The auto rickshaw is used to provide transportation in
cities all over Nigeria. Popularity and use varies across
the country however. In Lagos, for example, the "keke"
(Yoruba for bicycle) is regulated and transportation
around the state's highways is prohibited.[14]
South Africa[edit]
Tuk-Tuk in Hermanus, South Africa (2014)
Tuk-tuks, introduced in Durban[15] in the late 1980s
enjoyed growing popularity in recent years, particularly
in Gauteng.[16] In Cape Town they are used to deliver
groceries and, more recently, transport tourists.[17][18]
Rickshaw in Omdurman (Sudan)
Sudan[edit]
Rickshaws, known as "Raksha" in Sudan, is the most
common mean of transportation followed by the bus in
the capital Khartoum.
Tanzania[edit]
Rickshaws are locally known as "bajaji" and are a
common mode of transportation in Dar es Salaam.[19]
Uganda[edit]
A local delivery company called as Sokowatch in 2020
began a pilot project using electric tuk-tuks, to cut
pollution. [20]
Zimbabwe[edit]
Hende Moto electric 3 Wheeler Zimbabwe
Hende Moto Taxi were first introduced in Zimbabwe as
the first car manufactured by a Zimbabwean three
wheeler manufacturing company Hende Moto Pvt Ltd,
Hende Moto Engine in a Safari fiberglass body. The first
Hende Moto Taxi was introduced in Kwekwe August
2019, Zimbabwe and thereafter, Victoria Falls City came
second and lastly Harare 2019. Hende Moto is also the
manufacturer of the first Zimbabwean made electric
passenger three wheeled vehicle. It operates on a lithium
ion battery that has a range of 70 miles on a 6-hour
charge.
