I stayed a full week in Jodhpur, India and absolutely loved the place.  While there I found a very good guide and asked him if it would be possible to hire him for a day to talk with some rickshaw drivers.  If anyone knows three things about me, it should be this: 1) I hate to fly (not because of heights but because of the whole security process where your treated like a 10 year kid and are considered a criminal), 2)  Michael Jackson was as guilty as OJ and 3) I hate taxis!  If I die and go to hell, which I assume I will because I’ve had WAY to much fun in this life so far, is that I will be made to drive a taxi and eat airline food for all of eternity.

That being said, I thought I would try and understand something more that I hated so bad.  So I went out with a camera, notepad, pen and a guide to ask about their worst fares to run-ins with the cops.  Below is what I found out about rickshaw drivers in Jodhpur, India.

Shekil (24 years old)

“Once a man who was drunk asked me to take him to the bus station.  I asked him if he was sure he wanted to go to the bus station and he said yes.  So I told him it would cost 50Rs and the man agreed. He got into my rickshaw and laid down in the back.  I drove him for 10 minutes and dropped the man off right where I picked him up… which was the bus station.”

• Owns his own rickshaw
• Years Driving: 9 years
• Biggest Tip: $10 British Pounds
• Biggest Payday: 1,200 RS ($26.16 USD)

Rickshaw Tip: “Never take a rickshaw from a paid stand.  They will charge you more then the ones on the street but they do provide better security if you leave something in the seat as you can go back to the stand and they will help you get the item back.”

Anwar (33 years old)

“I once had a runner in my rickshaw.  He got out and ran so I had to chase after him.  I was chasing him and people off the street started to pass me and chase him to.  They caught him before I did and when I made it to the man the people from the street had him stuck on ground and his money out.  They paid me and I left.  I’m not sure what happened to the man afterwards.”

• Rents his rickshaw
• Years Driving: 6 years
• Biggest Tip: 200Rs
• Biggest Payday: 800 RS ($17.44 USD)

Worse Thing to Happen in Your Rickshaw: “A motorcycle cut me off on the wrong side and I had to jerk the rickshaw to avoid the crash but it caused it to flip over.  Everyone was ok and no one got hurt.  I flipped it back over with help and finished the ride.”

Abdula (33 years old)

“I picked up a man who had been drunk off whiskey.  He wanted to go to the bus station so I took him there.  When we got there he said he wanted to go to another place that was 15km-20km away.  So I took him there and when we got there he was passed out from the whiskey.  I tried to wake him up to ask what next or for the money but he wouldn’t wake up. So I took his gold necklace and ring and left him passed out on the road.”

• Owns his rickshaw
• Years Driving: 15 years
• Biggest Tip: 3,500Rs (from an American who he drove around for a whole day and the guy really liked him)
• Biggest Payday: $76.29 USD from the American above

Rickshaw Tip: “If you are fair with us, we will be fair with you.”

Abdul Selim (44 years old)

“I once had three women who wanted to go home.  On the way they wanted to stop and buy something but said they didn’t have enough money and asked me for 100Rs.  They said they would pay me back with the fare once we got to their house.  I said ok and when we stopped the 3 ladies went into a house and never came back out.  I asked the people at the house where the ladies were and they said they didn’t know any of them.  I lost the fare and the 100Rs!”

• Owns his rickshaw
• Years Driving: 12 years
• Biggest Tip: has never gotten a tip before
• Biggest Payday: 500Rs ($10.90 USD)

Mohemed (38 years old)

“I dropped off two people in the bad part of town.  They got out and two thugs (famous in town) got in.  I couldn’t refuse them and had to drive them but knew they wouldn’t pay the fare.  They wanted to stop and get some food to eat from a street vendor.  One guy got out of the rickshaw but the vendor refused to give them free food.  I told the other guy he should get out and show his muscles to the vendor and help his friend.  When he got out I took off with them running after me.”

• Owns his rickshaw
• Years Driving: 12 years
• Biggest Tip: 50Rs
• Biggest Payday: 500Rs ($10.90 USD)

Genfur (34 years old)

“A person left a cell phone once in my rickshaw. I went back to give it to the man, you know to do the right thing. I find him and give him the cell phone but he took it and handed it back to me and said it was a fake cell phone, that it didn’t work and that I can keep it.  The one time I go out of my way to help and I get laughed at and not even a thank you.”

• Owns his rickshaw
• Years Driving: 15 years
• Biggest Tip: 400Rs
• Biggest Payday: 950Rs ($20.71 USD)

Rickshaw Ripoff: “I picked up four British tourist who wanted to see the sites for the day.  We agreed on 250Rs per-person and they said they wanted to go to the palace first.  They went in and never came out.  I waited for 2hrs for them to come out and even asked people if they had seen them but no one had.”

Asalm (51 years old)

“I once picked up a married couple one time and they started yelling at each other.  It kept getting louder and louder, so I finally pulled the taxi over and left them on the side of the road.  They were still fighting when I left them!”

• Owns his rickshaw
• Years Driving: 25 years
• Biggest Tip: 500Rs
• Biggest Payday: 1,100Rs ($23.98 USD)

Rickshaw Run-In With the Law: “A customer once wanted off at a certain spot along the road.  I said it was problem but he insisted that he wouldn’t get out anywhere else, so I did as he asked.  A cop seen me and made me pay a fine of 500Rs on a 50Rs fare!”

Hemant (34 years old)

“A French couple I picked up at their hotel wanted to eat at a fancy restaurant in the palace.  I took them there at 7pm and waited till mid-night but they never came back out.  I went to their hotel and asked if they were there.  They had checked out and left.  I lost the fare that night.”

• Owns his rickshaw
• Years Driving: 10 years
• Biggest Tip: 250Rs
• Biggest Payday: 700Rs ($15.26 USD)

Rickshaw Run-In With the Law: “I once got caught without a license by a transportation cop.  The cop could have taken my rickshaw but I was able to only pay 30Rs bribe and got out of it”

Ayub (30 years old)

“A foreign tourist asked me to take him to the news paper office in town.  I take him and he starts to yell at me saying this isn’t the right place.  He knew some Hindi and was yelling,  people started to gather around us thinking I was taking advantage of this tourist.  I said ok and ended up driving him around for two hours looking for the place he thought was right.  In the end, I took him to the first place I took him and told him to walk inside and ask this time.  He did and it was the correct place.  He only paid me 50Rs for all of it.”

• Rents his rickshaw
• Years Driving: 8 years
• Biggest Tip: 100Rs
• Biggest Payday: 900Rs ($19.60 USD)

Rickshaw Run-In With the Law: “I ran a red light with four passengers in the rickshaw (when I only should of had two).  The traffic police yielded me at the next stop light but I decided I wouldn’t stop because I didn’t have enough money to pay a fine, so I kept going.  They caught up with me 9km down the road and made me pay a 250Rs fine.”

Dharmendar (38 years old)

“I was driving my rickshaw and I see a foreign man sitting on the corner having a juice.  He was a very big man and I thought he looked liked the wrestler Undertaker.  I stop and tell him this and he gets very angry with me and tries to fight me, so I run down the street.  When he can’t catch me he decides to go to my rickshaw and flip it over!  I watch him do this from around the corner of a street, he was a very big man.  He stands by my taxi for an hour until people finally tell him lie that it wasn’t my rickshaw.  After he finally leaves, people help me flip my rickshaw back over.  I had to pay to have it fixed.”

• Owns his rickshaw
• Years Driving: 15 years
• Biggest Tip: 5,600Rs ($121.96 USD)
• Biggest Payday: 7,400Rs (because of the big tip above)

Best Customer: “Best customers I have ever had was a group of seven Australians who wanted to go to a restaurant.  They had been drinking and wanted a special rickshaw that didn’t have a top so they could stand up, drink and party on the way to the restaurant.  We agreed on a fix price of 700Rs each way to the restaurant (1,400Rs total).  I took them at 9pm and they stay until 1am.  When finished each person gave me 1,000Rs… was a GOOD day for me!”

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What did I learn from this event?  Not much other then a lot of rickshaw drivers in Jodhpur love to talk about how they got ripped off and that it was one of the most fun days I had in India hanging out with them all for a day.  If anything I realized how little they make and that at least caused me to be a little more sympathetic toward drivers more.

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