Bad for business

Dhaka's notorious traffic jams are cutting into rickshaw pullers' profits, causing some drivers to switch from day to evening shifts.

A rickshaw puller earns between Tk 140 and Tk 200 during a six hour shift, but high traffic levels before the Eid prevent rickshaws from maximising their profits.

"I make between Tk 150 and Tk 180 a shift, including the Tk 40 deposit I pay the rickshaw owner (mahajan) to rent the rickshaw," said Siddique Ali, an elderly puller from Sherpur's Nalitabari thana. "But in the last couple of days I have not made even Tk 100 per shift. Its very hard to make trips as frequently due to the traffic jams."

Md Yunus, a puller from Munshiganj's Louhajung thana, said the drop in income makes it difficult for him to care for his family.

"I have a family of five. My youngest child is a five-month-old daughter and my wife is suffering from respiratory problems and needs a lot of medicines for treatment," said Yunus. "Rickshaw pulling is the only means of income for my family but my earnings fell dramatically in the last couple of days."

Traffic congestion peaks before the Eid shopping rush. From early morning until iftar, traffic becomes chaotic. Columns of rickshaws, auto-rickshaws and vehicles jam the city's popular districts, disrupting the traffic system daily.

Dhaka's rickshaw pullers now prefer to rent rickshaws during the evening to avoid the congestion.

"Evenings are better because there are fewer traffic jams. Besides, the rush is much less," said Jalil Mia, a puller from Sultanpur of Rajbari.

A mahajan confirmed the shift from day to evening shifts.

"I have noticed over the past couple of days that rickshaw pullers have tendency to rent rickshaws after evening shift."