UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT OF THE ISSUES FACED BY E-RICKSHAW AND AUTO-RICKSHAW DRIVERS OF HALDIA, WEST BENGAL

Author: Dr. Soumi Dey

ABSTRACT

With the rapid urbanization of Indian cities, the relevance of the paratransit informal public transport system grows all over the country. In India’s public road transportation industry, battery-powered electric three-wheelers, sometimes known as e-rickshaws or Toto (local term), have recently gained popularity. Simultaneously with the age-old motorized auto-rickshaws, these battery-operated rickshaws have become very popular since they provide fellow passengers with a convenient and affordable means of transportation same as auto-rickshaws. At the same time both this type of rickshaws exacerbates the Haldia town’s growing traffic congestion issue. The study makes an effort to understand the context of why those people have chosen this type of paratransit informal public transport service as an occupation and what types of issues they used to face in their day-to-day life for choosing this livelihood. This study has chosen purposive sampling and snowball sampling for data collection. Though this research is primarily based on qualitative methods, descriptive statistics helped in generalizing particular issues. This study has adopted participant observation, in-depth interviews, and group discussion techniques which basically enhance its trustworthiness. Research finding indicates mainly low education and economic hardship push them to choose this job as their career. In order to promote sustainable development, the government should highlight their income enhancement.

Keywords: e-rickshaw, auto-rickshaw, paratransit system, informal public transport

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