[sustran] Reworking the rickshaw

[Asija, Navdeep]

 *Navdeep Asija, GOI Monitor,*
*Aligning cycle rickshaws with advanced communication tools can make them
more viable and appealing*

URBAN LIFE seems to be an ode to mobility. Communication facilities ensure
we carry our world with us while better transport takes us to places. From
budget airlines to express trains, metro rails, low floor buses, on-call
taxis and auto rickshaws, we are almost always on the go, counting time as
money and spending money on fuel. In this race against time, the humble
cycle rickshaws lies ignored as nothing much has been done to streamline
this service. But despite this indifference, these low cost vehicles still
carry a large share of urban mobility.

 In Punjab, there are 2.6 lakh cars and 3 lakh rickshaws. While daily
occupancy rate of cars is 1.1, 20 persons travel on each rickshaw every day
which means rickshaws ferry 60 lakh people daily as compared to only 3.5-4
lakh by cars. Not only this mode provides node-to-node connectivity, it
also takes lesser road space. Despite this, we are paying no attention to
improve the viability of this green mode of transport, neither through
infrastructural changes to make its plying safer nor by creating more
demand.

In the West, rickshaw has just been left for recreational trips since the
private as well as public transports there are highly motorised. In India,
cycle rickshaws are para transit meaning they ply on reservation basis on
non-fixed routes and can be customised according to your needs. Auto
rickshaws and taxis also fall in this category but they can't manoeuvre the
narrow lanes of Indian cities as a cycle rickshaw can. It is also the
safest mode of transport since it's an open system unlike say a taxi in
which you can be locked in and taken out of the town. Maximum speed of a
cycle rickshaw is 20 km per hour. Even the Justice Verma Commission, which
gave recommendations to the Union government in wake of Delhi gangrape,
called for promotion of hawkers, street vendors and cycle rickshaws as
women feel very secure in public spaces occupied by them.

Find a rickshaw

As cities are expanding, it's getting difficult to find a rickshaw. Not
only the roads are becoming increasingly unfriendly to non-motorised
transport, we also seek quick movement. In a city like Chandigarh, 26 per
cent families own a car and it has the highest number of vehicles per
capita in the country. Even for short distance travel, residents prefer to
use private vehicles. This need can be easily met by rickshaws as they are
a recommended mode upto 3 km range.



 [image: Chandigarh eco
cabs]<http://www.goimonitor.com/image/chandigarh-eco-cabs>

There are 25,000 rickshaws in Chandigarh saving 75,000 litre fuel daily.
Illustration by: Khushdeep Kaur
There are around 25,000 rickshaws running on city roads making at least 20
trips each and hence saving 75,000 litre of fuel daily. It has been
estimated that the proposed Chandigarh metro rail network will cater to
3.18 lakh per day in 2018. Rickshaws are already ferrying 5 lakh passengers
daily. The demand can easily be increased by 5-10 per cent through good
stands, passenger information etc.

 According to recent data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India (TRAI), Chandigarh has one of the highest teledensity in the country
at 92 per cent. This is our real time infrastructure. If we align it with
our public transport infrastructure, good results can be achieved. While
taxis and autos are already organised through call centres, nothing has
been done to adopt similar concept for the rickshaws. This is what Eco Cabs
intend to do by addressing two issues: Make rickshaws accessible and
secondly, improve their quality.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently passed an order asking the
Chandigarh Administration to get 169 designated locations of rickshaw
stands vacated from encroachments. We have now developed a website (
www.chandigarh.ecocabs.org) with google maps pin pointing the location of
rickshaw stands in each sector and cellphone numbers of rickshaw pullers.
It's a community-run portal where any user can refer a rickshaw puller by
uploading his picture, contact details and location. Since nobody would
refer somebody unknown, we are only getting those rickshaw pullers known
for providing good service.

Keeping in mind the high teledensity in Chandigarh, we have also developed
an Android-based application for mobile phone users which can be used both
for adding details of rickshaw puller as well as for searching a rickshaw
near your location. Soon, the users would be able to use the service
through SMS notification. Around 20 sectors have already been covered and
60-70 rickshaw pullers referred and registered in initial 20 days. We are
aiming to host 25-30 pullers from each sector in next six months. The
training of registered rickshaw pullers is being done collectively at their
night shelters. We hope to rope in Chandigarh Police to help in the
verification process.

This concept of dial-a-rickshaw service is based on a similar model running
successfully in Fazilka town of Punjab for last five years. Fazilka has 9
call centres which are actually tea shops serving the nearby rickshaw
stands. Whenever a resident calls for a rickshaw, the tea vendor informs
the service provider standing first in queue. This has not only helped
increase the income of rickshaw pullers but also saves fuel and thus the
environment.

In Chandigarh, similar model could not be adopted as it's a bigger city and
people don't know each other. This is why we have gone for the
community-driven platform for references. It is a not-for-profit initiative
but to make it viable, we are running outdoor advertisements on rickshaws
in Fazilka. In Chandigarh, the outdoor advertising rules are very strong
and we have to shell out Rs 1,500-2,000 per rickshaw which is not
financially viable.

Suitable design

The second stage of this work will be providing rickshaws which are more
comfortable, both for the puller as well as the passenger so that people
prefer using it. Traditional rickshaws are heavy, have less sitting space
and chance of snatching and accidents are more as the canopy is not always
open and wheels are on the outer side. The 'Eco Cabs' we are going to
introduce are light weight, will have 3 feet 5 inch of sitting space, 20
inch width and a 4 inch cushion. It will be low floor for easy access to
senior citizens and children. A seat belt, dustbin, newspaper, tourist map
and FM radio will be added features.

Traditional rickshaws use mango wood which is not only heavy but gas no
resale value as the wood deteriorates with

 [image: Rapid rickshaw
transit]<http://www.goimonitor.com/image/rapid-rickshaw-transit>
time. Eco cabs are made of steel-pipe which helped reduce the weight by 35
kg. It will also fetch good price on resale since the price of steel is
always on the rise. These rickshaws are currently running in 22 cities of
Punjab. Around 100 eco cabs were introduced in Amritsar in collaboration
with Punjab Tourism and within 2 years, the number has risen to 750 due to
high demand from users. In Patiala, a few rickshaw pullers are also
doubling up as guides taking tourists around the city. In Chandigarh, we
are planning 'Rapid Rickshaw Transit', a fixed tarrif rickshaw between
Sukhna Lake and Rock Garden, the two tourist hotspots of the city. It is a
concept in line with the Bus Rapid Transit. This can be further expanded
into 'Chandigarh Tourism Route' with help of the administration.



So next time you plan to make s short trip to the market, consider taking a
rickshaw. It's  just a call away now.


  *Pedal this:*

   - Rickshaw was introduced first time in India around 1880 in Simla when
   it was a personalised vehicle for elite, pulled by two persons in front
   - After second world war, technological innovation led to addition of
   the third wheel and the puller turned into a pilot and could pedal it
   - In 2001, IIT Delhi started design innovations and introduced light
   weight rickshaws which were also improved by other agencies.
   - Chasis of a rickshaw is made by small scale industries while body is
   manufactured by big industries. Amritsar body is famous in Punjab while
   Meerut and Saharanpur are the two hubs of western Uttar Pradesh.
   - Art work on rickshaw changes every 100 km reflecting the local
   social milieu. So, while in Amritsar you will find rickshaws carrying
   spiritual messages written in Gurmukhi, Meerut rickshaws will feature
   patriotic themes along with the national flag.
   - Though rickshaw is a green mode of transport, there are heavy taxes
   levied on it. Due to use of steel and copper, total tax component goes up
   to around 21 per cent of the cost. Eco cabs cost Rs 12,500- Rs 13,000

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