A becak with a passenger under a parasol crossed in front of me

Becak driving through the streets of Jakarta

Pedicabs still enjoy a certain level of popularity in Southeast Asian countries. It's not that they have risen in popularity out of concern for the environment, but rather that the traditional human-powered taxis have survived to this day as a means of transportation for the local people.

It is interesting to note that the shape of the bicycle taxi differs from country to country. In Vietnam and Cambodia, pedicabs, known as cyclo, have a seat in front of the handlebars. In India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, the passenger seat is behind the cyclist and is called a cycle rickshaw, while the same is called a samlor in Thailand. In Myanmar, there is a seat like a sidecar next to the cyclist and it is called Saiq-ka.

In Jakarta, Indonesia, it was a cyclo-type pedicab with a seat in front of the handlebars. This is the pedicab shown in this photo. This kind of pedicab is called "becak" in Indonesia. The word "becak" is said to be derived from the Fujian word for "carriage". In the former French colonies of Cambodia and Vietnam, the word "Cyclo" is said to be derived from the French word for bicycles, so I thought here in Jakarta the word "becak" may be derived from the Dutch word for bicycles. Yet it was not the truth. I wondered if many overseas Chinese people were engaged in the becak business in Jakarta.

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