From Peking to Poona, Rangoon to Rajasthan, the trishaw has evolved into hundreds of regional variations. The oldest forms were originally pulled by the driver from the front, the passenger sitting in a mounted chair, and these can still be found in India and China. Nowadays, pedalled versions like the becak pronounced bay’chak with the passenger in front are the norm throughout Asia.
The average life span of a becak is well over 25 years if adequately serviced, making the market for new becaks
small. They are repainted in bright new colours and serviced almost daily as a result of the unrelenting strain
they receive from rough terrain, potholes and being pushed through floods. When the steel eventually does give way, the becak must be repaired or replaced, so it comes to one of the few becak factories that also repair and refurbish the machines.
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