Rickshaw Use and Social Impacts in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Abstract
With primary data collected from rickshaw users in Dhaka, Bangladesh, this paper explores patterns of rickshaw use and the possible social impacts that may occur if rickshaws were banned from Dhaka. A survey of 450 rickshaw users from six different locations in Dhaka was carried out, and descriptive and multivariate (binomial and multinomial logit models) analyses were applied to explore the social impacts of rickshaws on various groups of society. The results show that the rickshaw plays a crucial role in Dhaka's transport system. The majority of people use the rickshaw as their main mode of transport for their commute and social and recreational trips. Use of the rickshaw as a school travel mode and its resilience during the monsoon period make the rickshaw invaluable for Dhaka transport and economic activity. The analyses further show that the level of importance of rickshaws is unique for each socioeconomic group. For instance, females and people from low- and middle-income groups are more likely to be socially excluded if the rickshaw were not available anymore. A multinomial logit examined a rickshaw-free scenario: results suggest that most of the modal shift would move toward auto-rickshaws and taxicabs, rather than other public transport modes, such as the bus.
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Article first published online: January 1, 2011
Issue published: January 2011
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