Cold makes rental bike drivers' life difficult
About 12,000 drivers of rental motorcycles in six districts under Barisal division are passing their days in hardship as people do not want to travel by bike due to the ongoing bitter cold.
Driving rental bikes is the only means of livelihood for them.
Motorbike is one of the best vehicles for road communication in rural areas of the districts, but passengers are showing reluctance to ride on bikes as the cold is felt more on bikes.
“I did not earn a single taka for the last two days as there was no passenger due to the cold. And so, I have not been able to buy food for my five-member family,” said motorbike driver Manir in Jhalakathi Sadar.
“I used to earn Tk 500 daily before the cold spell, but now my income is about Tk 100 to Tk 200 a day. I have to pay Tk 200 per day as rent for the bike,” said driver Barkat at Rupatoli Bus Stand in Barisal.
“I took a small loan from a co-operative society at high interest for buying food and medicine for my sick elderly mother,” said Saidul Isalm, a motorcycle driver in Jhalakathi College More area.
“I never felt such cold in my life and I cannot drive my bike due to that,” a bike rider of the same area said, adding that he does not have enough warm clothes to protect himself from the cold while driving the bike.
“We have to pay Tk 6,000 as rent monthly to owner of the bike, whether we drive the bike or not,” said Saidul.
“I always ride on rental bike, but I have not done so this winter due to the bitter cold,” said Nur Alam Akon, a union parishad member in Nalchity.
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