KOCHI: At the High Court autorickshaw stand, Anas P A begins his day at 6.30am awaiting his first passenger. But, his wait bears no fruit until after two hours when the first passenger asks for a ride. By the end of the day, Anas has a meagre sum of Rs 250 in hand to feed four mouths. This isn’t just Anas’ story but that of the close to 15,000 autorickshaw drivers in the district ever since the pandemic outbreak was reported. For two months, they sat at home in keeping with the lockdown norms. Many autorickshaw drivers’ joy knew no bounds when they were allowed to ferry passengers earlier this week.
However, criteria such as one passenger per auto and three, if they’re from the same family, have ruined the prospects of a decent income. The public still fears the outdoors and passengers are far from many.
“There are a zillion things to worry about -- earning meals for my family, paying fees for my children’s studies, finances for maintaining my vehicle and repaying my loans. I’ve been riding an autorickshaw for the past 20 years and never has the future looked this bleak. My electricity bill is due but I don’t have the money to pay. Most auto drivers are from impoverished households; the sector has been badly hit by the lockdown,” says Anas.
The months of March to May are also supposedly the peak time for autorickshaw drivers owing to examinations and summer vacation. “We would make a reasonable sum during the SSLC exam season. This year, the lockdown has also contributed to a dull Ramzan as I was unable to provide special food or new clothes to my children,” adds the Njarackkal-based driver. Anas’ wife had taken to sewing to supplement the family income but according to the family, nothing has come out of it. Francis P J shifted his auto from the South Railway Station to Thoppumpady as autorickshaw drivers weren’t allowed to take passengers alighting from trains. But, around 50 auto drivers await their turn at the stand in Thoppumpady and by the time his turn comes, it is already evening.
“Earlier, I would leave my house at 6am. Now, I arrive at 8am and leave by 5pm. A total of `300 to `350 is the maximum an auto driver gets these days. I don’t blame the public -- everyone is fearful of the current situation. Additionally, no one has sufficient money to get through --several people in Kochi live in rented houses -- so autorickshaws with the ‘one passenger’ norm aren’t preferred either. We may get more rides once more private buses commence services,” says Francis, who hails from Palluruthy.
He mentioned that auto drivers with small kids at home found it even more difficult as they couldn’t supplement their children’s meals. Francis’ wife has also taken to sewing as a means to help earn their daily bread. District general secretary of the INTUC auto drivers’ union Biju K G spoke about their misery. “The Welfare Board members will get Rs 2,000 per month but only 50 per cent are members of the Board. Most of them had changed their diesel vehicles to CNG, so they couldn’t pay their taxes on time and, as a result, are also ineligible for the Welfare Board fund. The ration allowance isn’t enough to sustain families especially when the repercussions could last the entire year,” he says.
Driver turns vendor to make ends meet
When Abu Thahir foresaw the circumstances and realised that he wouldn’t be able to get passengers for a long time, he knew he had to act fast. And so, a month ago he borrowed some money, bought vegetables from the Aluva, Nettoor and Ernakulam markets and converted his auto along with a co-driver into a portable vegetable market. “I didn’t have a choice. I need to sustain my family so I resorted to selling vegetables. Autorickshaw drivers are barely getting any rides. I’m able to earn a better sum now. I used to drive heavy vehicles too -- if such an opportunity comes, I wouldn’t hesitate to take up that either,” he says.