Difference Between Sampan And Trishaw

Two of the transportations used that can be hardly seen nowadays are the sampan and trishaw.
Sampans are small wooden boats that are usually propelled by oars used for fishing and short range transportation used used along rivers and coastal areas in Singapore. There are different kinds sizes for the sampans and the bigger ones were used as cargo carriers or trading vessels. A small-sized craft takes one or up to three people, and it was also used to carry small amounts of goods, and some were even hawking snacks and sundry items at the waterfront. Normally propelled by a short, single-bladed paddle or, by a double-bladed paddle, the more modern sampans are outboard-motor powered. Sampans operated by Chinese, also provided a leisurely ride
When rickshaws were abolished by the colonial authorities in 1947, many of these early rickshaw pullers then became trishaw riders.13 Other trishaw riders were ex-coolies who had grown too old or weak to continue in their initial profession. The average income of trishaw riders in the 1950s and 1960s varied depending on the number of hours worked and fares collected, which ranged from as low as $3 to $20 a day. The rates of hire for trishaws were fixed by the Municipal Commission in 1948. Trishaw riders could charge $0.20 for every half mile or part thereof travelled. Alternatively, they could charge $1.50 for every hour or $0.40 for every additional quarter hour of travel. There were mainly two shifts for trishaw riders who rented their vehicles: one from 5 am to 2 pm and the other for the rest of the day. This shift system usually applied to a rented trishaw, which was only available from 3 am to 3 pm the next day. For others who could afford their own trishaw, the working hours were more flexible. trishaws ensured the survival of “informal sector businesses” such as hawkers, street peddlers and petty traders by ferrying goods for them.20 Trishaws also played a crucial role in sustaining socially illicit activities like gambling and prostitution by ferrying patrons into the back alleys of shop houses where such activities took place. Trishaw riders have to register and get a license and take a licensing test where
Technological developments and the increasing affordability of cars made the trishaw a comparatively dangerous means of travel. The trishaw also faced competition from newer forms of motorized public transport such as buses. However, the introduction of the taxi was the most direct threat to the trishaw industry, as taxis provided a faster and more efficient form of personalized public transport. The illegal pirate taxis in the 1950s provided an attractive alternative to the trishaw as a mode of mass transport in terms of their cost.31

The decline of the local bicycle industry also contributed to the decline of the trishaw industry, since the production of bicycles affected the manufacture of trishaws. By the early 1970s, the local bicycle industry was in decline as manufacturers could not compete with foreign imports due to the increased costs of production and taxes on bicycle parts.32

Finally, Singapore’s urbanization played a part in the demise of the trishaw industry. Many slums and squatter settlements within the inner-city area were cleared out in the 1960s as part of a government-initiated urbanization programme. This caused many trishaw riders to lose their main source of income, as their clients traditionally came from these areas. Many trishaw riders were subsequently forced to move out of the inner city to seek customers in the new housing