Archive · 23 Aug 2026
Hooghly’s Elderly Rickshaw Pullers Struggle as Totos Replace Cycle-Rickshaws
Cycle-rickshaws used to be an important way for people to travel short distances in Hooghly.
Now, many passengers are choosing battery-powered e-rickshaws called totos.
This has made it harder for traditional rickshaw pullers to find customers.
The work is tiring and does not pay much, so younger people do not want to do it.
Most of the remaining drivers are elderly.
Some drivers said they once earned about Rs 600 a day.
They now say they may earn only about Rs 200 a day.
They also say they do not have savings or access to loans to buy totos.
The drivers want the government to help them start different jobs.
Traditional pedal rickshaws are rapidly being replaced by battery-operated e-rickshaws, known locally as totos.
Rickshaw pullers in Uttarpara, Konnagar, Serampore, Chinsurah, Chandannagar, and Singur face falling demand and higher operating costs.
The profession is now sustained largely by elderly drivers, with younger people avoiding its physically demanding, low-paid work.
Pullers said their average daily earnings have fallen from about Rs 600 nearly a decade ago to roughly Rs 200 today.
They say they lack savings and cannot obtain bank loans to buy e-rickshaws, and are seeking government help to find new livelihoods.
- Who
- Elderly cycle-rickshaw pullers in Hooghly district, including drivers from Serampore and Rishra.
- What
- They are struggling financially as cycle-rickshaws lose customers to battery-operated e-rickshaws, or totos.
- When
- The transition has intensified over roughly the past decade; the drivers said their earnings have recently fallen to about Rs 200 per day.
- Where
- Hooghly district, on the western bank of the Hooghly River north of Kolkata, including Uttarpara, Konnagar, Serampore, Chinsurah, Chandannagar, and Singur.
- Why
- Totos have expanded rapidly, while cycle-rickshaws are slower, physically demanding, relatively low-paid, and affected by government crackdowns, competition, and rising operating costs.
- Affected workers
- Traditional cycle-rickshaw pullers, now mostly elderly
- Local term
- Battery-operated e-rickshaws are popularly called totos in Bengal
- Earlier daily earnings
- Pullers said they earned an average of about Rs 600 nearly a decade ago
- Current daily earnings
- Pullers said they can now earn roughly Rs 200 per day
- Main locations
- Uttarpara, Konnagar, Serampore, Chinsurah, Chandannagar, and Singur
- Financial barriers
- Pullers said they have no bank savings and cannot obtain loans to purchase e-rickshaws
- Requested support
- The pullers want state government assistance to begin new livelihoods