Title
Rickshaw puller at the corner of North Bridge and Rochor Roads
Year/Period
Mid 1930s
Region
Singapore
Object Type
Material
Dimension
Image size: H:5.6 x W:8.2
Accession No.
2001-04273
Collection of
By the turn of the century, rickshaws were a highly popular form - among the less rich in particular - of cheap and efficient transportation. By the mid 1920s however, rickshaws began to lose some of its allure as some of its traditional customers switched to motorised vehicles, as well as trolleybuses that ran on regular schedules. Officials' concerns about the dangers rickshaws posed also marked the demise of these 'man-powered carriages'. Rickshaws were slow moving, disrupted traffic flow and hence deemed hazardous. In 1928, fewer rickshaw licenses were given out and rickshaws were banned in some parts of the city. Although the pullers retaliated, their strike in 1938 ultimately led to the abolition of rickshaws.
