Cycle rickshaws, once a popular mode of transport, might have disappeared in many areas in the wake of advent of other modes of modern transport like autorickshaws.
Yet the human-powered ‘chakka cycle rickshaws’ are still a preferred mode of transport in Chirala town with a population of about one lakh, vying with autorickshaws for its share of the pie.
The vehicle lacks the comforts of cushioned seats and a cover over the head to protect from the blazing sun or when the sky opens up during rainy season.
Yet the Chiralites use these non-polluting vehicles to reach their destination within the town dotted with narrow lanes and bylanes as they are inexpensive.
Another reason is that rickshaw men, many of them are known by their names by the passengers, give a listening ear to the commuters ever ready to air their views on anything and everything under the Sun while enjoying the pleasant ride.
“In those days we used to take just Re. 1 per person. But now they charge a flat rate of ₹10 per person to take to any destination within the town,” says a 68-year-old Srinivas who took to peddling rickshaw for a living in his teens.
“I make it a point to travel by these rickshaws as the knowledgeable rickshawmen guide me on what to buy from where cheaply,” says a businessman who has just alighted from the Chennai-bound Pinakini express for making purchases at the Mahatma Gandhi cloth market. Moreover, autorickshaw drivers refuse to ply for small distances.
Housewives rely upon them to take tiny-tots to school and for going to shopping, while others engage these rickshaws to go to the railway station or bus station as the rickshaw men keep waiting in every road junction to carry them to any location, both far and near.
Earning
“I earn between ₹200 to ₹300 a day which is sufficient to meet the day’s expenses of my family after paying a rent of ₹30 for the vehicle owner,” says another rickshaw driver Subba Rao while waiting for a customer at the busy Clock Tower centre.
“We are unsure of our income for the day. We may even earn ₹500 one day and it may even dip to ₹100 per day when the town experiences rain,” says another rickshaw driver Sk. Basha before
taking a commuter to an eatery.
Institutional credit is a far cry for these rickshaw drivers who prefer to pay a rent of ₹30 per day to the vehicle owner instead of buying themselves the vehicle costing about ₹11,000.
