BANGLADESH: With highly congested traffic, passengers in Bangladesh choose rickshaws to move around the capital

The traffic in downtown Dhaka is so congested that at any given time it would take at least two hours to drive across the city. It's a constant cause of frustration for drivers and the city is filled with the sound of relentless car horns. Most buses are overcrowded and struggle to manoeuvre through the bumper to bumper traffic jams. So most locals say the only way to get around is on one of the many rickshaws that ply the city's dusty roads. Some half a million of the colourfully canopied cycles fill the capital and they are the quickest way to travel and won't cost you an arm and a leg. It also offers the impoverished locals a chance to earn a meagre living. Rickshaws are readily available for rent and drivers alternate between day and evening shifts ensuring a fair distribution of income. Muar Abu Sheikh is 72 years old and he has been pulling a rickshaw for half a century. "It's not my rickshaw. I take it from the rickshaw owner. I pay 90 Taka (1.3 USD) to him per day and the rest of the money which I earn is for me," he says as he smiles. The evidence of this difficult job can be seen on the tired legs of the rickshaw pliers. Most have bulging veins and bruised feet. But the job's challenges are minor for these men who say it's not as bad as it looks. "Obviously I get tired, but in the evenings I take a bath and take some rest and then I feel good," Abu Sheikh explains. Many families can be seen squeezing into rickshaws that can take as much as four people on a cramped journey. Mothers say they choose this open air mode of transport for their children over poorly ventilated buses. "If we take a rickshaw it is quite comfortable to reach every place. Most of the time with our children it is not very easy to travel by bus," says Nissin Farjana, as she holds her baby daughter. Passengers come in all shapes and sizes and one can even see businessmen in expensive suits seated on the plastic seats. They say it's the fastest way to get from their home to the office each morning. "From my residence there is no bus to go to my office and that is why I am bound to take this rickshaw," explains Romeen Hassan. But for most the appeal lies in the cost. "Rickshaw is very comfortable and very cheap also, that's why," a passenger, Mohammed Hassan says. It's a catch twenty-two situation on the streets of the busy city. The half a million rickshaws help passengers to get to their destination quickly despite the traffic, but most probably believe if there were no rickshaws there would be less traffic congestion to begin with. But the vehicles are a cultural tradition and are a part of the residents' way of life and most agree that Dhaka just wouldn't be Dhaka without these age-old vehicles. Good shots of rickshaws making their way through busy city streets.

ITN Source | March 10, 2007

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