18 till I drive: Underage public transport drivers zipping about town

Teenagers say they have little choice as someone in the family has to earn money

PESHAWAR:

If you use public transport in the city, then you know the driver could very well be underage and possess a need for speed. But if you speak to the drivers, you’ll fast learn its more about a need for making a living. Drivers argue with families to support from an early age, they have few options to turn to.

“It is better to earn a respectable living than become a militant,” says Shunid Gul, a 17-year-old pickup driver hailing from Bara, Khyber Agency. “Even though getting caught by the traffic police is humiliating, I would rather carry on this way,” he adds.

“I drive this pickup with my brother as there are no jobs. When I am caught, the fine is as high as Rs5,000, which can be my earning for an entire week,” he explains. His younger brother is just 14.

The number of underage drivers in the public transport sector has seen a marked increase; 559 of them were booked in July and 610 in August. The police department says fines worth Rs111,800 were collected in July and Rs122,000 the following month.

It added some 80% of the underage drivers drove rickshaws or Qingqis. An estimated 10% of them were pickup drivers, whereas private car and motorbike owners were 5% each.

Town DSP Traffic Asghar Marwat claims the recent influx of people displaced by the military operation in North Waziristan has exacerbated the problem. He points out most underage displaced people are otherwise unskilled and therefore choose to drive rickshaws to make a living.

“Most underage drivers here are driving rickshaws and Qingqis as these vehicles are present in large numbers,” he says. The DSP compares the ratio to other cities like Rawalpindi, where 50% of underage drivers are motorcyclists.

“Last year, we seized around 6,000 rickshaws and fined the riders Rs750,000.” He recalls the crackdown of the authorities led to the drivers going on strike.

“The problem is the traffic jams and other hazards are created by these inexperienced drivers. People avoid coming to Hayatabad and Saddar as they could be stuck in traffic for hours,” says the policeman.

Tribesmen, however, can sympathise with the underage drivers. “What else will they do?” asks Wahid Gul from Akka Khel, Khyber Agency. “Let them be rickshaw drivers instead of kidnappers and bandits.”

“These kids do not do it for fun. They have to support their families and the government should provide them with a decent alternative so they stay away from driving at such a young age,” he adds.

Marwat agrees the underage boys have little choice. He said authorities recognised their plight and that was one of the main reasons there was no widespread or lasting crackdown against them.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2014.