This is a trishaw driver licence with the number ‘2277’ issued by the Singapore Municipal Commission (SMC).The first trishaws were officially registered in Singapore in 1914 although they were advertised in the papers as early as 1886 in the form of the Upton Park tricycle. These early trishaws were essentially modified rickshaws attached to a bicycle and as such were known as ‘pedal rickshaws’ or ‘pedicabs’ when they were first introduced. It was not until the 1920s that trishaws became more widespread on the island when a new wave of Chinese immigrants turned to trishaw peddling as an occupation. Although less manoeuvrable than the hand-drawn rickshaw, the trishaw proved popular in Singapore and the region due to its greater speed. The use of trishaws grew even more dramatically during and immediately after the Japanese Occupation when petrol for motor vehicles was scarce. They have since become a rare sight on Singapore’s busy roads and are now mainly chartered by tourists looking to experience the Singapore of yesteryear.
