Slice Of Life: ‘I wish government protects welfare of autorickshaw drivers’

I have been driving autorickshaw for the past 12 years. I start my day at 5 am and drive till noon and then I take a break. I start again from 3 pm to 11 pm. I lost my mom and dad at a young age. Currently, I am living with my sister’s family. Prior to this, I was employed as a mason in a leather factory in Periamet. It used to be a very tiring job. I used to work for nearly 12-15 hours every day and the pay was very less. I began to search for other jobs but I couldn’t find anything that would offer a good salary. So, I took an autorickshaw on rent. 

During the early years, I had a good business and was earning more than Rs 1,000 per day. After Uber and Ola were introduced, my business has become dull. I did not want to join them as they charge high commission. If I had joined them, then I would have to drive a few hours extra and spend more on fuel. I would get the same number of customers but less income. I just want the government to intervene and do something for our welfare. Many auto drivers are being exploited in this manner. I have the burden of paying the rent for the vehicle that I ride every month, so my business is deeply being disturbed. I am just hoping that my business will improve and I would own an auto one day.