Rickshaw and Bangladesh from economic perspective : one for
another – why and how
Despite of all
critics the communication infrastructure has been developed last 25 years more
or less all over Bangladesh. At every corner of Bangladesh, even in
a remote area have roads that are paved with bituminous materials,
concrete, cement or at least with bricks. Although the conditions of the roads
are poor but communication is now much easier to drive a rickshaw on these
roads. Not only this but there have also some other reasons that is why
rickshaws are popular as a public mode of transport.
In Bangladesh roads
are small and narrow in small towns, villages and even in the cities at
residential areas. So rickshaws are comfortable transport to go through these
roads.
A rickshaw in a village road in
Bangladesh
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Increasing
income level of lower middle class and middle class people has raised the
number of rickshaw passengers. Not only this but also people in Bangladesh
don’t like to take a long walk carrying with some luggage to go somewhere.
Climate of Bangladesh is not extreme. All around the year people can go out with
more or less normal clothes. So it is not so difficult for the rickshaw drivers
to drive a rickshaw (think about the European winter with snow) or not even for
the passengers.
Rickshaw traffic in a narrow road in
old Dhaka, Bangladesh
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After marketing, easy journey to home
by a rickshaw
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‘’Rickshaw
sector has a great contribution to Bangladesh economy.According to the
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, in the year 1985-86 rickshaws contributed 34%
of the total value-added by the transport sector in Bangladesh or roughly 984
crore taka or 9840 million BDT. This was more than double the contribution of
all motorized road transport, 12 times the contribution of Bangladesh railways
and 12,5 times the contribution of Bangladesh Biman, the national air
line. Rickshaw accounts for more than half of Dhaka’s vehicles, 70 percent
of its passengers and 43 percent of the total passenger mileage.Everyday about
70 lacks or 7 million passenger trips are made in Dhaka by rickshaws over a
distance of one crore ten lacks or 11 million passenger miles. This is nearly
double the output of London’s underground. Rickshaw provides one of the largest
sources of employment in Bangladesh. In Dhaka over 700,000 people make rickshaw
related work which is the largest single form of employment. We can count about
23 percent of the city’s workforce. At present more than two million or
twenty lacks people all over the country find job in them. The great majority
are rickshaw drivers, but there are also mysteries(repairers), owners, makers,
shopkeepers(selling rickshaw parts, spear-parts and other materials), tea-stall
owners and many others who survive on the basis of the rickshaw. The crud size
of the rickshaw sector has important implications for the national economy. If
we consider that for every male employed there are at least three dependents,
thennationally around six million or sixty lack people depend directly on the
rickshaws or 4,5 percent of the total population’’.(Rickshaw and Prejudice by
Robert Gallagher,August 1998)
Rickshaws as a means of communication
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In fact rickshaws
are preferred travel mode or transport by women, children and the older people
due to their safety, security and comfort perspective. In this context we can
get our answer that why the numbers of rickshaws are increasing day by day. In
Bangladesh especially in transport sector government takes no responsibility to
build up a communication network. In every city and even in rural areas private
sector takes the initiative to operate a somehow communication system. The
whole country is overcrowded and traffic system is inadequate. Busses are over
loaded although bus fare is cheaper than rickshaw fare but impossible for
women, children, old and any physically weak or disabled person to travel by
bus. Big or small cities don’t have any underground railway system or tram
lines. So rickshaw is the only public mode to go somewhere. Rickshaw, taxi
(difficult to go through a narrow road) or CNG baby taxi can offer a door to
door service but the fare is much cheaper to hire a rickshaw. The Dhaka
Integrated Transport Study report found that the rickshaw fare is more than
double in comparison to bus fare for the same distance. But some 19,2 percent
passengers use rickshaws while only 9,5 percent travel by bus. In a study the
traffic dominance of rickshaw in Dhaka, Sylhet, Comilla and Rangpur cities are
49%, 78%, 80% and 55% respectively. (Source - Banglapedia )
A young guy finds his job as a rickshaw
driver
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A road side tea shop earns their living
from rickshaw drivers
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Every
year a huge number of working force coming to join in the labour market of
Bangladesh. As Bangladesh is a least developed country and government don’t
affort to create sufficient jobs for the working force. The number of literate
working force have a chance to find a job in industry sector like garments
factory or any type of official job or even in service sector like a
seller or canvasser, in health sector or in manufacturing sector. But the
illiterate working force coming from the rural areas to the labour market don’t
have any jobs for them. They don’t have year around job and as a result of
rural poverty this group of people migrate from rural to urban areas. They try
to find jobs in the informal sector like rickshaw driving or in construction.
These occupations don’t demand any previous experience or know how. It’s a
question that why do rural migrants accept rickshaw driving as an occupation,
despite its arduous nature. In a study done by Sharifa Begum and Binayak Sen in
2005 (Pulling rickshaws in the city of Dhaka: a way out of poverty?) shows the
reasons that driving rickshaw is easy entry, especially for men who are
illiterate, unskilled and lacking capital. Other reasons include the regular
flow of income and earning more money. At the same time they can decide their
working hours and own desire for choosing routes. Last few years a trend has
developed that many people migrate to the big cities especially in Dhaka and
drive rickshaw just for a month or little more. Now they try to avoid borrow
money from others with a high interest rate for their children educational
expense or other type of household needs they need a handful amount. Within a
short period they can earn a handsome amount of money and return to their home. In
my own investigation in Dhaka and Savar a rickshaw driver can earn on an
average 500 taka per day. To hire a rickshaw for whole day 70 taka and for a
half day 50 taka need to pay to the rickshaw owner.
A rickshaw garage and repairing center
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By paying rickshaw
fare to a rickshaw driver has a great socio – economic impact in our national
economy. We can see that it’s a way to transfer wealth from middle class to the
poorest. Especially Dhaka and other major cities rickshaw drivers send a significant
portion of their earnings back to their villages, and may work seasonally as
rickshaw drivers in order to raise money for farming. Rickshaw drivers of the
urban areas actually supporting their families in the countryside and
agriculture as well. So harming rickshaw drivers means harming poor villagers
throughout the country and potentially our agricultural system as well.
(Rickshaw bans in Dhaka city – Mahabubul Bari, Debra Efroymson; August 2005)
A seller of rickshaw accessories
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We can make our own
calculation to see that how much money flows in rickshaw sector. We count
around 20 lacks or 2 million rickshaws are operating in the roads of
Bangladesh. Very few rickshaw driver owns their rickshaw. We make a flat
calculation. In an average rickshaw drivers pay 50 taka per day to the rickshaw
owners. So the amount is per day earnings of rickshaw owners is 10 crore taka
or 100 million BDT and per month 300 crore taka or 3 billion BDT.If we count
that rickshaw drivers earn daily on an average 200 taka, so the amount will be
40 crore taka or 400 million BDT and per month 1200 crore taka or 12 billion
BDT. From the lower middle class and middle class people 1200 crore taka
go over to the poorest group people of the country and circulate in our economic
system.
A rickshaw rally for green environment
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Now a days people
all over the world is talking about ‘’global warming’’ and to keep and save a
more green environment. Like Bangladesh, a most over crowed country in the
world that don’t have almost any spear land to keep the country green can
contribute in a way to a green environment by helping and develop rickshaw
sector in a better way. We should think that rickshaws don’t make any harmful
carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide in the air. Policy makers and mass people
should consider the consequence of a well functioned rickshaw sector in
Bangladeshi economy before taking any drastic steps and decisions. The most common public transport in Bangladesh is Rickshaw.
Rickshaws are seen all over the country - in the capital city, big major
cities, towns and rural areas and even in the hilly areas. In Bangladesh people
hardly need to walk. Once you are outside of your home to a nearby road or a
lane, one or more rickshaws will appear within a few minutes, with the little
silver bell tinkling to get your attention.