Rickshaw Part 2

In the rickshaw business, we often use fishing analogies to describe our work. You can troll, or you can cast in one spot and wait. When I first started, I wasn't given much direction. I was set free to work how and where I wished. At first I took note of other drivers to learn their methods. For the most part their techniques were random, and a lot was left to chance, like a fisherman drifting down river, casting at whatever looked good. Being the primary driver this season, I've decided to take a more systematic approach.

For instance, trolling is a great way to get exposure and attract customers, but it's very inefficient and should be reserved for certain situations. Like when there's a lot of activity, but all the other cabs are parked. With a high supply of taxis, I need to put in extra effort to get customers. The opposite of this is football game days when there are no other taxis in sight and customers are competing with each other to get a ride.

I much prefer the sit and wait method to conserve my energy. But, there are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a location. For the beginning of a smaller sporting event (like baseball), you can't be too close, because a ride isn't worth the cost. And you can't be too far; you'll get too few customers. So, I'm working on identifying the converging points for foot traffic, while avoiding parking at the bottom of a hill.

Pricing is another issue. In general we charge $5 per person, but for short trips, I usually leave it up to the customer. Most people tip well, and some pay two or three times what I tell them. Still, a few think $5 is too much, and in a way, I agree. It's strange asking people to pay for something that I would never pay for myself. But then, I'm almost always on my bike.

The other issue I have is that we really don't drive outside of walking distance, so I often feel like I'm depriving people of (much needed) exercise and capitalizing on others' laziness. I suppose plenty of other industries do that too and usually charge more. Not that it makes it right, but it could be worse.

Recently, while out working one evening, I got an unsolicited job offer from a "real" taxi service with the promise of making more money. It was tempting from the thought of being in a warm, enclosed vehicle, and of course more money is usually a good thing too. But, I decided not to take it. Working for that company would mean taking orders from a dispatch system and/or taking calls along with stricter, longer hours and the stress of driving a monstrous vehicle in crowded areas and sometimes grid-locked traffic. No thanks. Sadly, several coworkers have succumbed to the allure of bigger profits. 

The freedom of the rickshaw isn't something I'll readily give up. It's a low stress job with semi-flexible hours, and it's just generally enjoyable. Also the customers often think it's fun, whereas an SUV/van taxi is just an expensive form of transportation. Another factor in turning down the "real" taxi job was that earlier that same day, I accepted an offer to take over the maintenance of the rickshaws starting in the fall, along with some other supervisory duties.