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London finds an eco-friendly mode of transport

Anand Parthasarathy

The rickshaws are mostly driven by students or those looking to make some quick money with a week's work.

FUEL SAVER: Cyclerickshaws on the streets of London.

BANGALORE: Close on the heels of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Battacharchjee's stated intent to phase out hand pulled rickshaws in Kolkata almost a century after they were introduced, over 18,000 rickshaw pullers are having to prepare for a new era when they might be assisted to change over to 3-wheeled cycle models. In fact a similar change occurred almost 30 years ago in Chennai where the then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi is credited with doing away with hand pulled rickshaws and helping the pullers acquire cycle rickshaws.

Kolkata's prospective cycle rickshaw drivers will be interested to know that the cycle model that is still in use in many Indian cities has its counterpart in London, where it is seen as an eco-friendly alternative to motor taxis. Since 1998, half a dozen companies with names such as Bugbugs, London Pedicabs and Chariot Bikes have been leasing out cycle rickshaws to drivers in the U.K. capital, who pay around £100 (Rs. 8,000) a week and get to keep all fares and tips they collect. Today, there are over 200 cycle rickshaws plying in the central district of London - the theatre and entertainment locales of the West End, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden - ferrying, mostly tourists over short distances.

Most of the rickshaws look like souped-up versions of the kind that still ply in Chennai, Bhubaneswar, and older parts of Hyderabad — with chunkier, scooter-type tyres and gears. But some makes have the driver almost stretched out, only half a metre above the ground, with the handle bars under the seat. The rickshaws are mostly driven by students or those looking to make some quick money with a week's work and typically charge £2 (Rs. 160) a person for a distance under 2 km.

In peak summer, they are in demand with sightseeing tourists. And since the famous London double-decker buses now charge a stiff one pound sterling as minimum fare, a cycle rickshaw is not all that costly.

A few drivers told this correspondent that they can make most of their money at night when the up market night clubs and entertainment spots pay a bonus that could be 10 pounds or more for every customer brought to their doors. Top drivers say they can pull in 500 pounds or more in a week.

Recently the drivers have come together to form LARD - The London Association of Rickshaw Drivers — where they agree on standard fares and try to negotiate good deals from insurance agencies. Over 200 ply the central entertainment district, fares from Rs. 160 per head.

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London finds an eco-friendly mode of transport

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