KARACHI: An immediate blanket ban recently ordered by the Sindh High Court on plying of motorbike-rickshaws, better known as Qingqis, has aggravated the city’s public transport crisis, besides depriving many people of their livelihood, it emerged on Friday.

Many commuters, especially women, said they suffered a lot over the past two days as Qingqis had disappeared from roads while the authorities hadn’t provided any alternative to the motorbike-rickshaws.

“I have been waiting here for almost an hour but couldn’t get public transport. The Qingqi rickshaws that I used to travel on are no more on the road while buses are overloaded with passengers. We can’t push and shove like men to board a bus or sit on its roof,” said Rashida standing on road near a Gulistan-i-Jauhar roundabout.

In the absence of public transport facility, the motorbike-rickshaws were a cheap mode of transport, she said. “There are many streets and roads which are not designated for plying buses. In fact the number of buses has drastically reduced over the years,” she said.

Waiting for public transport at the Korangi Crossing, people were of the opinion that the court order was lopsided as it didn’t consider the ground realities and its implications on the people with limited resources.

“Only we know how we manage to reach our destinations every day. Nobody wants to risk their life by travelling on the unsafe vehicle, but then what choice is available to us,” asked Asif, an office worker.

Most commuters, Dawn spoke to, believed that the court should have bound the government to resolve the transport crisis within a specific timeframe by bringing in more buses before slapping the ban.

One of the suggestions was that the authorities should have facilitated the plying of motorbike-rickshaws at least in certain areas where no buses run.

On the argument that the motorbike-rickshaws were unsafe, they said commuters were equally at risk in worn-out overcrowded buses plying on city roads. The criterion for public safety should be implemented across the board, they argued.

Some were of the opinion that the court should have given at least six months to the motorbike-rickshaw owners and operators to modify their vehicles according to the law or to look for an alternative source of income.

Motorbike-rickshaw drivers, most of whom hail from the interior parts of Sindh, said the ban had rendered them jobless. “I have recently paid Rs10,000 to purchase a motorbike-rickshaw for Rs85,000 in installments. Now I am worried what I would do as we are hearing that motorbike rickshaws have been closed for good,” said Ajmal who along with his other colleagues had decided not to ply his rickshaw on Friday after one of them was beaten up and fined by a traffic policeman.

According to an unofficial estimate, around 50,000 to 60,000 people operate motorbike-rickshaws in the metropolis.

Gathered near Safoora Chowk on University Road, they all seemed apprehensive for the days ahead. “About 50 to 60 motorbike-rickshaws are operated from here and each of us pays Rs100 protection money to a person who helps us in case of a challan or injury.

“Though we don’t have a driving licence, we do have the papers [or permission] for plying a rickshaw. The government should regularise our vehicles and we are ready to pay some amount to it instead of giving the protection money daily,” said another driver.

The Qingqi drivers questioned as to why the government hadn’t taken an action against the business when this transport business mushroomed. “Today, thousands of people are associated with this business. How we are going to feed our children and pay rent of our homes?” said motorbike-rickshaw operator Din Mohammad who had come to Karachi from Nawabshah.

The issue of transport crisis was highlighted earlier this year in a report titled ‘Karachi: the transport crisis’ prepared by renowned city planner Arif Hasan with Mansoor Raza and the Urban Resource Centre.

According to the report, more than 50 per cent buses, minibuses and coaches in the city have disappeared from roads with some 200 routes being shrunk to only 80 over the past decade mainly due to ‘increase in fuel prices and government apathy’.

Road accidents

According to another report prepared by the Road Traffic Injury Research and Prevention, which collects data of road accidents from five public and private sector hospitals of Karachi, Qingqi rickshaw has the sixth position on the list of 16 vehicles found involved in road accidents last year.

While travelling in motorbike-rickshaws, the number of people injured in accidents increased from 216 in 2013 to 594 last year. Seven fatalities were caused by the vehicle last year and eight in 2013.

Motorbikes, however, topped the list of vehicles found involved in accidents as 25,855 people suffered injuries in cases involving motorbikes. Riders/pillion riders formed the largest group most harmed by traffic accidents as 565 people of that group had fatal accidents last year.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2015

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