The motorcycle-rickshaw is changing the transportation landscape of Faisalabad, bringing ease to the working class, especially the factory workers. Muhammad Ashraf, a motorcycle-rickshaw driver, transports the powerloom workers and students to earn a living. Talking to WealthPK, he said motorcycle-rickshaw had transformed the transportation landscape of Faisalabad, where once donkey and horse-driven carts were the means of commuting. He said as looking after horses and donkeys was costly, and was financial burden on the owners, they had always been on the lookout for some alternative means of living. Elaborating, he said: "Whether you put them to use or not, you have to feed them, referring to horse and donkey. However, the situation has altogether changed with the arrival of motorcycle-rickshaw in the market."

"I am earning from Rs2,000 to Rs3,000 daily during my 10 working hours," said Ashraf. Ejaz Hussain, general secretary of Pasban Rickshaw, Taxi Drivers Union, told WealthPK that motorcycle-rickshaw had become an industry and approximately 80,000 three-wheelers were operating in Lahore, 45,000 in Faisalabad, 50,000 in Gujranwala, 13,000 in Rawalpindi, 40,000 in Multan and thousands in other cities. He said people at the helm were not ready to acknowledge the services being rendered by motorcycle-rickshaws. "This source of transportation is playing a crucial role in not only facilitating easy commuting but also strengthening the economy.

" He said Faisalabad was the mainstay of the country's textile sector, and a majority of factory workers used motorcycle-rickshaws to reach their destinations, though a small number of big units were offering transportation facilities to workers. Ejaz Hussain said the mushrooming growth of motorcycle-rickshaw had led to job creation in different sectors ranging from manufacturing to maintenance. He said a motorcycle-rickshaw was environment-friendly as it had no four-stroke engine. Imran Ahmed, another rickshaw driver, said, "Believe it or not, the motorcycle-rickshaw is being considered a means of last resort as fares are cheap." However, he complained about traffic wardens treating them like "enemies of society". He said rickshaws had emerged as the cost-effective mode of transportation in urban areas unlike buses, wagons, taxis and the traditional two-stroke rickshaws.

"The three-wheeler has become the first choice for commuting as they navigate through congested areas easily and reach their destinations timely," Ahmed claimed. Ejaz, the general secretary of the rickshaw union, said that in 1990, the then government banned the horse-driven (tonga) and replaced it with a two-stroke rickshaw. "However, such rickshaws were not environmentally friendly." He said the motorcycle-rickshaws were eco-friendly. He said students also used motorcycle-rickshaws to go to and come from their schools, colleges and universities. Mujahid Hussain, a trader in the Ghulam Muhammad Abad area, said he hired two loader motorcycle-rickshaws for transporting wooden beds to Lahore, paying Rs10,000 each against Rs40,000 demanded by a mini-truck driver. He said the motorcycle-rickshaw had transformed the way people commuted. Mujahid said the cost of operating a motorcycle-rickshaw was low.

"Owning a motorcycle-rickshaw guarantees a steady income stream for one during a period of record inflation," said Muhammad Ashraf, the rickshaw driver. "Motorcycle-rickshaw has provided me self-employment. You can consider me an entrepreneur as I am running my own business," he quipped.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)