For residents of Chennai cycle rickshaws evoke memories of a bygone era. These hand-pulled vehicles were once a common sight in various parts of the city, including Mount Road, Mandaveli, Vyasarpadi, Triplicane, and Pattalam. However, today they are primarily found on Mint Street.
There are a little under 50 cycle rickshaws in the city at the moment. There was a time when one could easily count at least 200. Back in 1955, the Government of Madras had licensed 1,000 cycle rickshaws to ply the streets. In the following decades, the city witnessed a shift from hand-pulled rickshaws to cycle rickshaws, with the number increasing from 1,004 in 1962 to 2,363 a decade later.
A significant change occurred in 1973 when rickshaw pullers across Tamil Nadu were given cycle rickshaws as part of a gift scheme. This initiative aimed to phase out hand-pulled rickshaws and promote cycle rickshaws as a more user-friendly mode of transport. While these iconic vehicles are now a rare sight, they serve as a living testament to the changing times of Chennai’s urban transportation history.
