Dhaka saw traffic surges as offices opened for limited hours on Wednesday and then on Thursday, and employees who depend on ride sharing applications were unable to find riders due to the absence of mobile data.
Since the beginning of motorcycle ridesharing services in Bangladesh, one of its biggest challenges has been offline trips. Since mobile data has not been available in Bangladesh since last Thursday, many riders went offline to search trips during the hours when the curfew was relaxed.
Polash, a motorcycle rider, said: “This is my first day (of sharing rides) since last Thursday. I have made only around Tk500 till the afternoon.”
Polash picked up one of his regular customers from Gulshan to Dhanmondi on Wednesday. The customer paid him a bonus of Tk50.
Mizan, who used to make Tk1500 from ridesharing before the recent unrest, made Tk1,000 on Wednesday.
He said: “My first trip was to Banani, and I came back from there with no passengers.”
According to Mizan, people who live in affluent neighborhoods like Gulshan and Banani do not want to share motorcycle rides offline. Although Mizan primarily shares rides offline to avoid giving a percentage of his earnings to ride sharing applications, he turns to the apps in these areas.
Swapan, another rider, said: “I carried on with the limited savings I had till today. I did not risk the roads for my safety and that of my bike. This (the bike) is my bread and butter. I will not risk it.”
Between the limited hours for riding, a drizzle in the afternoon, mobile data unavailability, and the traffic rush, riders earned less than expected on Wednesday.
Fahim Ahmed, CEO of Pathao, said: “We expect to resume the service as soon as possible.”
Pathao is currently working on increasing the ride capacity for its riders to make up for their earning loss since last Thursday. Pathao estimates that it has lost around Tk30 crore in the last six days.
On average, riders earn around Tk1,500 per day. They take home around a thousand after paying for lunch, fuel, and other expenses.
Many riders were at home during the unrest over the last week. As the situation is returning to normal, mobile data is the last piece of the puzzle for the people to make their living from sharing rides.
State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications, and ICT Zunaid Ahmad Palak recently said: “We are trying to restore the 4g mobile data after discussions with AMTOB next Sunday or Monday.”
