Schoolchildren travelling in LPG rickshaws

The average student en route to school can be found hastily flipping through a textbook or clumsily straightening a crease on their uniform however, for the schoolchildren regularly travelling through a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) run rickshaw, the dread of their journey on a ticking time bomb is too overwhelming for them to be worried about their destination.

Where peaking inflation has altered the consumption habits and living standards of multitudes across the country, parents seeking a cost-effective and safe travel option for their school going children have been faced with a new conundrum, as they struggle to choose between the pricier school vans on the one hand and the highly explosive LPG run rickshaws on the other.

Amber, the mother of a second grader, used to send her son to school on a van, which cost her Rs 2,000 per month, however a 50 per cent increase in the van’s charges forced her and her husband to look elsewhere for other cheaper options. “We were able to find a nine-seater rickshaw which charged us Rs 2,000 per month as transportation charges. Even though the rickshaw runs on LPG and is not safe for our child, we have no other option until the school vans decrease their fares,” confessed Amber.

Nazimuddin, a driver of a school van, agreeing with Amber, felt that since a long-time parents had entrusted school vans with the responsibility of taking their children to school and back. “However, the recent increase in the prices of petroleum products has forced many transporters including me to increase the transportation charges by Rs 500 to Rs 2,000. Due to this, countless parents have turned away from vans and have hired LPG rickshaws for taking their children to school, even though they are aware of the explosive nature of these vehicles,” said Nazimuddin.

According to Asif Shah, the Vice Principal of a local school, peaking inflation has led to an increase in the transportation charges of school vans, which has pushed away many financially stressed parents towards risky alternatives like LPG rickshaws, which not only contain explosive material but also have missing doors and carry a larger number of student passengers than would be considered safe.

However, LPG rickshaw drivers like Adnan, have happily welcomed the change in preferences of parents as the growing number of passengers signals greater earnings. “Driving a rickshaw as a school van has allowed me to earn a decent monthly income,” shared Adnan, who felt that parents trusted him with their kids’ safety.

On the other hand, Ustad Mansoor, a rickshaw mechanic opined that LPG rickshaws were always unsafe, regardless of the degree of caution exhibited by the driver. “An LPG run rickshaw is like a moving bomb and if a substandard cylinder is installed, the chances of it exploding are even higher,” warned Manzoor.

Speaking to the Express Tribune on the matter, Rafia Mallah, Additional Director General, at the Sindh Education Department said, “The safe transportation of children to schools is the responsibility of the parents. However, the usage of LPG rickshaws is very unsafe, and we will issue a letter to all educational institutions to raise awareness among parents on the hazards of sending their children to school in such vehicles.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2023.