During the GARR our Aussie rickshaw wallahs will be pedaling cycle rickshaws made in Bangladesh. These three-wheel machines are typical of the estimated half a million rickshaws that choke the streets of Dhaka.

Bangladeshi rickshaws are the most colourful in all Asia and have been called ‘mobile works of art’. A quarter of the cost of a rickshaw may go into its artwork.

The rickshaw economy

• Every day rickshaws make seven million passenger trips, covering eleven million miles. That is more than double the number of passengers that travel on the London Underground.
• In a given year, rickshaws in Dhaka do the equivalent of 160,000 laps around the world, or 8000 times to the moon and back!
• The estimated 400,000 rickshaws in Dhaka generate more than $500 million a year.
• Although each rickshaw only costs around $225, this is an unattainable amount of money for most rickshaw wallahs in Bangladesh and the majority of them rent their machines. After a long day of hauling people and goods, the wallah might make around $2.30, out of which he pays about 65c rent.

In a very real sense, the hard-working wallahs and their rickety machines help turn the wheels of this nation’s economy. Yet, for all their importance to Bangladesh, the wallah rarely rises above the poverty line.

Bibliography:

Wheeler, T & l’Anson, R 1998, Chasing Rickshaws
Lonely Planet Publications
Victoria

Dhaka's beleaguered rickshaw wallahs October 5, 2002, BBC,
Retrieved 25-01-2010

Pulling rickshaws in the city of Dhaka: a way out of poverty? Retrieved February 17, 2010

Rickshaws are an early 21st century solution Retrieved March 1, 2010

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Quick Facts

Capital: Dhaka

Language: Bangla (also known as Bengali)

Population: Approx. 156 million (July 2009)

Life Expectancy at Birth: 60.25 yrs

Area: 143, 998 sq km

Extremes is a good word to begin describing Bangladesh. Bangladesh is about two-thirds the size of Victoria, but being home to about 156 million people makes it one of the most crowded areas in the world. If Australia had the same population density, there would be nearly 8 billion of us!

Bangladesh is also a nation of extreme poverty, with some 120 million people living on less than $2 per day. However, development efforts in recent decades have seen some positive changes. For example, the country’s employment level has risen by 20% over the last two decades.

Bengalis work against continuing difficulties including:

• The strain on the environment because of the demand for resources in such a densely populated region
• Systemic problems across all areas of government that prevent the vast majority from accessing adequate social support services
• Monsoonal floods and cyclones that destroy huge amounts of property every year including houses, crops and businesses.

Added to these obstacles are the pressures of climate change. A large part of Bangladesh is just above sea level. This means that when water levels rise, the population will be forced to exist on an even smaller area of land.

Bangladesh has taken tough and often innovative measures to combat its problems. It has been one of the first nations to enforce major bans on plastic bags and to reduce emissions by two-stroke vehicles in urban areas. The ready-made garments (clothing) industry has grown steadily during the last two decades, contributing hugely to the country’s economic growth and employing more than 2 million women.

At the village level Bengalis are willing to try new methods of community action and to work cooperatively to break out of the cycle of poverty. It is in this willingness that organizations, such as Symbiosis International, see the potential for positive change at all levels of social, cultural and political life in Bangladesh.

Bibliography:

Ausaid Australia, Bangladesh,
accessed 21/01/10

CIA World Factbook, Bangladesh,
accessed 20/01/10

Lonely Planet, Bangladesh –Overview,
accessed 20/01/10

The World Bank Group, Bangladesh,
accessed 20/01/10

The World Bank Group, World Bank Millennium Development Goals Report- Bangladesh,
accessed 20/01/10

For most of Bangladesh’s two million rickshaw wallahs, each day is a long, exhausting ordeal of straining to pull heavy loads and passengers. Why do they do it? Simply, rickshaw riding is a job and is therefore seen as an escape from poverty.

In Dhaka, most riders were not born in the city, but have moved there to seek a better life for themselves and their children. Initially this may be true, with most wallahs reporting an increase in income in comparison to their previous employment. Over time however, the difficulty of the job often outweighs the original benefit. Only about 13% of the wallahs own the rickshaws they ride. Most are rented from owner-mechanics known as mistris. These are small business people who may own about five rickshaws. Above mistris are maliks, who own larger fleets. On average, a wallah pays about 40% of his daily earnings in vehicle rent.

Rickshaw wallahs are typically some of the least educated people in the country. 58% are illiterate and 17% did not finish primary school. They live in poor quality accommodation and only 40% of those that are married have a chair, table, watch or clock in their house. On average a wallah in Dhaka supports five other people and his daily wage is about $2.30.

In Rob Gallagher’s book, The Rickshaws of Bangladesh, he calculated that rickshaw wallahs expend the amount of energy that an Olympic athlete would use in competition. A 2% gradient doubles the amount of power needed, as does a 16km/hr headwind. Stopping and starting (which happens often in Bangladesh traffic) raises the power needed by 100%. All this is done by riders who are often malnourished.

As a result, the wallahs develop legs of steel but the number of wallahs over the age of 45 is small. Tiredness was given as the main reason for leaving by 85% of retired wallahs in a 2004 study. This tiredness may be due to respiratory problems due to the long hours of working in polluted air. Almost none regretted the change, even though most moved into lower paying jobs.

Although the move to the city increases the wallahs earnings, it also increases living expenses, meaning children often work to supplement the household income. The upshot is that the next generation is unable to complete schooling and has as few employment options as its parents.

Rickshaws – a brief history

Jinrikishas were invented in Japan around 1870. There are many contenders for the title of rickshaw inventor, but it was as much a matter of good timing as mechanical genius. The technology that paved the way for rickshaws was rubber and good roads.

The 1930’s saw the first cycle rickshaws appearing on Dhaka streets and the British colonists decreed that rickshaws must have dark blue hoods, with red lining and black ironwork. These rules relaxed as the British moved out of Bangladesh and ever since, the elaborate and colourful artwork of Bengali rickshaws has distinguished them from all others.

Because they block traffic and can overturn easily, the authorities regard rickshaws as bothersome. As a result, governments have not made the life of the rickshaw wallah easy. The Bangladesh Government authorities recently announced that no more licences will be distributed. Before this a licence cost about $5, but now a black market licence is worth at least $150. Despite these restrictions the uncelebrated rickshaw industry continues to thrive in Bangladesh.

Bibliography

Dhaka's beleaguered rickshaw wallahs, October 5, 2002, BBC
accessed January 25, 2010

Chasing Rickshaws, Wheeler, T & l’Anson, R 1998
Lonely Planet Publications, Victoria

Pulling Rickshaws Out of Poverty: A Proposal By Timothy Sowula and Thomas Wipperman, October 5, 2002, BBC
accessed February 18, 2010