e-Rickshaw Archives - Lokmarg

Parveen Bano is 32 and drives an e-rickshaw in Seelampur, North East Delhi, to make ends meet A single parent, Bano drives her e-rickshaw in two shifts so she can also take care of her three children. She wears a hijab that covers her face except her eyes but it is difficult not to see the steel behind the veil.

I originally belong to Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, a place where women are not allowed to have their opinions. They are taught to obey their in-laws and take care of their families all life.

I too was living such a life when one day my husband died of cancer four years ago and soon after I was left to fend for myself with three minor children. The support from my in-laws didn’t last. After your husband’s death, your value is one of a servant in a joint family. They always associate your identity with your husband’s. We were soon made to realise that we were not welcome in the house. I was unlettered and had never worked before. But I felt it was my responsibility to feed and take care of my three children with dignity.

I came to Delhi in 2016 with the help of a relative who got me a job at a garment factory. The earnings from the factory were too little to care of everyone in the house. I have two daughters and a son. I barely used to make money at the factory. The conditions were so bad that I had to beg for rotis to feed my children every day.

Amidst trying to make my ends meet, I met a woman named Suman who used to drive e-rickshaw.I asked her to teach me to drive. She no longer lives in Delhi but I will always be indebted to her for making me economically stronger that today I can even think of sending a child to school.

Being a single parent, I have to not only be a bread-earner but also a homemaker. Driving an e-rickshaw has given me the flexibility to do both. I wake up at 6 am and complete my household chores by 9 am. I cook food for my children and also drop my son to school. I then leave for my work.

I work in two shifts. I come back around 4 pm after collecting my son from school and again leave in the late evening. I work till 10 pm. Once I come back from home, I cook and complete other household chores. With a daily income of ₹600-700 that I make, I pay my rent for the vehicle as well as the house.

If the vehicle gets damaged I have to pay even that from my pocket and always owe some amount to my employer and my landlord. When demonetisation was announced I had a very difficult time and it left a huge hole in my pocket.

But now the things have improved. When it comes to facing retaliation from male counterparts, I have been lucky. Nobody disturbs me in my work. That way I have had some peace in my struggling life.

Amid my struggle, I want to ensure that I send both my daughters to school so that they do not have to beg before anyone or live a miserable life as we do now. Right now, I am capable of only sending my son to school due to the financial crunch.

Although I am usually short of money round the clock, I am happy that I have a respectable job and I am at least making my ends meet. The thought of what could have happened if I did not have this e-rickshaw is scary.

Also at Lokmarg

An e-Rickshaw and one happy migrant

—With editorial assistance from Lokmarg

Bhola, an e-rickshaw driver in Trilok Puri, east Delhi, has few complaints in life. Three-and-a-half years ago, the Delhi government launched electric rickshaws as an environment-friendly mode of short-distance transport. Bhola, then a pedal rickshaw-puller, was among the first few in his slum cluster to opt for the new vehicle.

In hindsight, I consider it was the best decision of my life to switch to e-rickshaw. I realized that I wasn’t getting any younger, and there were three children – two girls and one boy – to feed and educate at home. I mined all my savings and borrowed locally to raise ₹86,000 for the vehicle. On the first day, I found it difficult to manage its speed and manoeuvrability but in a couple of days, I got the hang of it.

The rigour of pulling and pedalling was gone while my income more than doubled. The summer is the worst time for a pedal rickshaw-puller but now the routine is comfortable. I start my day at 8 in the morning. Every afternoon I go to my house for lunch and a siesta for two hours.

After that I get the vehicle charged for ₹120 for the evening ahead. Once the batteries are charged, the vehicle can run for six hours straight. I drive slow and cautiously but there are others— actually many many others, who drive e-rickshaws very rashly.

Most of them don’t own their vehicles and ply on a rental basis. They indeed are a nuisance. But to be fair to them, every extra commuter and an extra trip means an extra buck. In my colony, nearly everybody wants to own an e-rickshaw. Some have left regular security guard jobs to run an e-rickshaw.

For, the money is good. I earn about ₹500 daily. This when I take it pretty easy; others may be making plenty more. Hence, there is competition around busy routes, shopping sites and at Metro stations. There is a flood of e-rickshaws on the road nowadays.

I have heard that on busy routes, where e-rickshaws operate with bulk commuters, they are managed by their own ‘leaders’ who not only manage discipline and turns of the drivers but also dole out regular tip to the local cops. I prefer to stay off from such a rush. I have never paid a single penny to a policeman in my three years of riding.

Owning an e-rickshaw also means I have to pay for the upkeep. Most often, its tyres are very fragile. Then there is the wear and tear on its metal body, as well maintenance of the batteries. Yet, I would say I have little to complain about. I came to Delhi in the 1990s from Bulandshahr in western Uttar Pradesh.

I often talk to my wife about our struggle in the village and in Delhi. This e-rickshaw has changed all that. I have begun to save for a rainy day. I have more time to spend with my family and there are no debts due. I have made peace with my life.

-With editorial assistance from Lokmarg

Tag: e-Rickshaw

‘This e-Rickshaw Will Send My Children To Schols’

Also at Lokmarg

An e-rickshaw and one happy migrant