The three-wheeled cycle rickshaws, an accent of the city have been carrying patrimony for ages. These usually, an easy commute, ruled the old city lanes at an economical fare. Though over the years with the ever-growing population, the city streets had been remodeled to cater to the sum of vehicles. Eventually, these cycle rickshaws got confined to the lanes and areas without a public bus route.
The old city areas covering Uzanbazar, Latasil, Panbazar, Kharguli, and Ambari still get a glimpse of these cycle rickshaws on a daily basis. But areas like Six Mile, Panjabari, Geetanagar, and parts of Beltola where cycle rickshaws brought congestion, are now replaced by the e-rickshaws.
These e-rickshaws introduced about 5-6 years back, can now carry up to 5 passengers at a time, moves faster, and charges a shared fare. This had already hit the cycle rickshaw pullers who used the rickshaws on a daily rental of 50-70 rupees a day from the owners. The ones who could afford, shifted to these e-rickshaws while others remained to pull rickshaws at a minimal rate or move to daily-wage working.
While cycle rickshaws remained available to the old city at Rs10-15 a kilometer, in December 2018, the Bangalore based bike taxi service ‘Rapido’ made its move to the city. The bike taxi service brought in deals at Rs. 19 for 3KM with door-to-door pickup and drop. This changed the scene ever since then. Rapido and other bike taxi services got popular in no time, making commutes easier than ever before, at such a modest fare. These app-based services took over the student commuters as well as working professionals, making the intracity trips faster and cost-efficient.
This evolution from choosing to book a bike taxi over taking a rickshaw has several grey layers, as there’s something to lose on both ends. Firstly, these slow-moving cycle rickshaws have already faded away from the fast-moving city. The rickshaw pullers are usually local migrants from rural areas in search of job opportunities who struggle to manage a living with the job.
“I remember pedalling from Uzanbazar to Fancybazar with two passengers at Rs. 1.5 about 40 years back, to which it shall be Rs 50-60 as of today”, says Lal Bihari Pasman, a 65-year-old rickshaw puller who has been in the job for more than 50 years now in Guwahati. He also added that he just makes a little more than Rs 200 daily, in the post-pandemic days. However, he runs a family of 11 members, where he including his two sons are the bread earners.
These cycle rickshaws might just be a part of faded memories in the near future, just like the ‘matadors’, if erased out of our roads.
Secondly, two-wheeler taxis have generated urban employment amongst the unskilled youth, with flexible work hours. These taxis have their own set of capabilities as one could book a bike taxi until late evening, and can shuttle longer distances. These modern app-based services also ensure insured rides including digital invoices.
The gains and losses of the situation remain highly debatable, keeping in mind the fact that, it’s the people who make this city and there shall be equal opportunities of growth catered to each class of the society. The choices remain in the hands of city dwellers, to make a wiser move.
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About the Author:
Aditya Pran Changkakati is a multimedia journalist based out of Guwahati, interested in covering Rural Development and Youth Affairs. He also covers photo series from rural India.