The Last Licensed Rickshaw Puller in Hong Kong

Looking at old pictures of Hong Kong, you may see a vehicle that was once ubiquitous across the territory but has since completely disappeared from the city streets: the rickshaw. What you might not know, however, is that the last licensed rickshaw puller retired as recently as 2020.

When shipbroker S. L. Heinemann imported two rickshaws from Japan in 1874, little did he know he had introduced a vehicle that would become one of Hong Kong’s preferred modes of transit for the next 146 years. In 1880, the rickshaw was introduced for public transit. Within just two years, the initial fleet of 30 vehicles grew to several hundred. At its peak in the 1920s, 3,000 rickshaws were active in Hong Kong.

However, the mid-twentieth century severely impacted the trade. The Japanese Occupation between late 1941 and 1945 crippled operations, as materials for repairs became unavailable and many pullers either fled the territory or perished.

Furthermore, the post-war era brought a massive boom in efficient, affordable public transit. Motorized buses, an expanding tramway, and the introduction of public taxi fleets quickly outpaced human-powered travel.

In 1975, the British colonial government stopped issuing new rickshaw licenses. This policy aimed to phase out the trade gradually through attrition; when a license holder retired or passed away, their license could not be transferred. Eventually, in 2020, Hung Chiu-ping (洪超平) became the last licensed rickshaw puller in Hong Kong to retire.