If you took a trip to, say, Phnom Penh, you would expect to be able to take a pedicab from your hotel to a restaurant and then afterwards around the city for a tour. The same would be true for most cities in Southeast Asia. But these days you might be surprised to do the same in Frankfurt or Delft … or even more recently in Boston or Sacramento.

Pedicabs are being introduced in cities across Europe and America. The reasons are varied. Certainly they are a green alternative to cars or other forms of internal-combustion transport. There have been some technical innovations such as the electric assist that have made them more user-friendly. I like to think of their emergence in modern industrial cities as a desire to return to a slower lifestyle – a humane pace. The following is a brief look at the evolution of the pedicab:

The Rickshaw
These two-wheeled carriages are entirely powered by a footman pulling by two long shafts mounted to the carriage. The wheels are huge in diameter and proved to be a tremendous improvement over the wheel-less palanquin carried laboriously atop the shoulders of two porters. The original name was “jinrikisha” whose translation is “man-powered car.” Who first invented the rickshaw is a matter of debate, but beyond dispute is the fact that they were popularized in Tokyo and Osaka in the late 19c, not long after Admiral Perry opened up Japan for trade with the West.

Bicycle Rickshaws
Also known as “pedicabs”, these vehicles are generally three-wheeled and offer the mechanical advantage of a bicycle with pedals and gearing to provide efficient propulsion. They have maintained a constant presence in the crowded cities of less-industrialized Asian countries for decades. Bangladesh, Cambodia and Indonesia, for example, have had them operating in various geometries and formats since before WWII: some with the driver in the rear; some with driver at the side; most with the driver in front and pulling their passengers. In the US, the primary manufacturer is Main Street Pedicab out of Broomfield, Colorado

Modern Pedicabs
Three innovations put modern pedicabs in a new category: an integrated electric system including a motor in the front hub, recumbent seating for greater pedal power, a modular carriage that both protects the passenger and is an advertising platform. These three features are best embodied in the CityCruiser from Berlin, Germany – the brainchild of Daimler–Chrysler engineer Ludger Matuszewski, who in 1997 saw the potential for just such a vehicle and quit his job to embark on its creation. It is now the best selling pedicab on the European continent.

GM’s PUMA
Borrowing from the gyroscopic technology of the Segway, the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility vehicle is clearly a technical achievement. Two side-by-side seats balance atop two wheels mounted on a transverse axle; the vehicle propels forward at speeds of up to 35 mph for a range of 35 miles. But is this truncated chariot a practical means of personal mobility? Would a tandem bicycle work better? It might be suitable for very specialized applications – much like the Segway has found a limited but useful niche in mall security. Or maybe it’s just GM’s way of saying “we are thinking outside the box - desperately”.

As the world moves into a post internal-combustion era, alternative means of transport will undoubtedly be developed and offered up for public consumption. As well, old designs will be rehashed with modern components and better materials. It’s a good bet that pedicabs in one form or another will continue to be in the mix.