A rickshaw is a two-wheeled taxi for one or two passengers pulled by a human runner. The name is derived from the Japanese 'jinrikisha”, meaning 'human-powered vehicle'. The passenger or passengers sit on a seat between two large wheels, while the runner runs in front between pair of long, wooden handles. There is a collapsible cover over the passenger seat for use if in case of rain.

The rickshaw was invented in Japan in 1869 and rapidly spread across Asia. It arrived in China as early as 1873, creating a new profession, the rickshaw runner.  A rickshaw runner was a man from the very bottom of the social hierarchy. A rickshaw runner had to run around 45 kilometers a day.

The 1930s saw the introduction of the cycle rickshaw and auto rickshaws joined it after the second world war, displacing the pulled rickshaw. However, it is still in use in some places of Africa and Asia.