THE DEVELOPMENT OF BECAK (PEDICAB), A UNIQUE MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION IN INDONESIA

Becak (Pedicab) is a three-wheeled transportation means that uses human power as its main fuel. Becak can still be found in cities in Indonesia. However, with the increasing number of vehicles on main roads in Indonesia, the Government has limited the operating of Becak in big cities. Becak is no longer used in a large urban area like Jakarta for it has been banned since 1980s.

In Indonesia, Becak is quite diverse in forms but basically has simirality. Generally, Becak in Java is designed with rear wheel so that when fully loaded, the driver will have difficulty in seeing the road in front. Meanwhile, Becak on the island of Sumatra, mostly are designed with side wheel so the driver will be more flexible in monitoring the road in front. This side-wheel-Becak type of course has a shortage due to its width. This type will not be as flexible as that of with the rear wheel.

Both in Java and Sumatra, Becak has been developed, both design and function. In terms of design, today Becak is developed in such way that looks more interesting while in term of function, Becak is currently widely used for tourism because in our daily activities, the functions as Becak as a means of transportation more replaced by motorcycle.

Initially, Becak is an environmentally friendly means of transportation for it does not use machine and only relies on human power. Formerly, Becak is in great demand of its cheap price and its flexibility move through urban terrain. However, this time Becak becomes a great problem since using motorcycles machine.