COVID-19 woes: Pandemic reduced our earnings, resumption of metro hit it further, say auto-rickshaw drivers

Already reeling under a financial crisis induced by the coronavirus pandemic, auto-rickshaw drivers in the national capital say the resumption of metro services has hit their earnings further.

They say their business was slow as a large number of people have been working from home, and things have not improved even after a gradual reopening of offices as commuters are taking the metro for their travels.

Waiting outside an exit gate of the busy Rajiv Chowk metro station, Jai Mangal, who returned from his village in Bihar's Muzaffarpur on September 7, said auto-rickshaw drivers have been struggling to find passengers.

Mangal says he starts his day around 7 am but, on Saturday, got only three passengers in the seven-eight hours.

It has become difficult to even pay the rent for the auto-rickshaw -- Rs 250 a day, he said.

"We hardly have any work these days. Now that metro services have resumed, it is even more difficult to find passengers. All I have earned today is Rs. 300.

Of this Rs 300, I need to pay Rs 250 as rent for the vehicle. I hardly have anything left at the end of the day," he said.

Mangal, the only bread-earner in his family, has a rented accommodation on the Asif Ali Marg and he pays Rs 3,500 for it.

When the lockdown was announced, I had nothing to eat for three days. So, I left for my village along with others. It took us nearly three days to reach there. I didn't want to return, but I had to, since I'm the only bread-earner in my family," he said.

Another auto-rickshaw driver, Shailesh Kumar, a resident of Khajuri Khas, said the re-opening of metro services have hit their earnings severely.

"At least earlier, we got passengers since there were no other mode of transportation. People were hardly stepping outside due to the pandemic. But when offices started re-opening, we started getting passengers from Connaught Place here as they opted to commute via autos over buses for various reasons.

So, if our income was not very handsome, we at least had a decent earning from them. But now that metros have started again, people are opting the metro," he said, adding he has hardly got any passenger during the day.

Another auto-rickshaw driver, Shyam Prakash, a resident of Karawal Nagar, said that at least during lockdown, passengers preferred auto for long-distance rides but now with metro back, they hardly get five-six passengers a day.

In a hope to find another passenger at Connaught place, Amrit Kumar, a resident of Seelampur, said he has rented the autorickshaw for Rs. 250 per day and all that he has earned since morning is Rs 60 from his first ride to Karol Bagh.

"It's been extremely tough for us. We wait for hours here only to get passengers but we hardly find any. All I have earned since morning is Rs.60 but as the day progress, we hope to find more passengers but then most of the passengers prefer autos for short-distance rides," he said.

Mohan Kumar Singh, another auto-rickshaw driver said that even though markets have re-opened, eateries and shops are functional, there is not much business happening since they don't have customers.

"Unless people step out for shopping or sightseeing, how will their business run? Connaught Place used to be crowded at one point of time especially during weekends. Now, with metro services in place, people have slowly started stepping out but then our earnings have gone for a toss because of the metro," he said.