Delman or horse-drawn buggy is named after its inventor, Charles Theodore Deeleman. He was an engineer and irrigation expert who owned an iron workshop on the coast of then-Batavia. The vehicle is driven by a coachman at the front of a carriage. Meanwhile, up to four passengers sit inside the carriage.
Delman in Jakarta was mostly manufactured by dedicated factories. One of which was located on Jalan Gadjah Mada, Central Jakarta. The delman carrosserie factory was called Wagenmakerij which also served order of horseshoes. This also used to be a delman workshop. Initially, delman used iron tires but after roads in Batavia were paved, the tires were made from rubber.
In the past, delman was also used as a medium to promote on-screen movies. Movie posters were displayed at delman as it travelled around the city. The moving advertisement was appealing not only because of the posters, but also due to drums played along with delman bell. These elements attracted bystanders visually and auditorily.
Among places delman can be found nowadays is at the Ragunan Zoo, South Jakarta.