Welcome back: Tourists enjoying their ride at George Town heritage enclave. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Good times are back for trishaw riders, with some earning up to RM3,000 a month, a turnaround from practically doing nothing two years ago when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
As tourists return to Penang, these trishaw peddlers can earn as much as RM60 an hour, taking the visitors around the heritage attractions and areas where mural paintings are found.
Zulkifli Yusuf, 55, who has been a trishaw rider for the past 10 years, said before the pandemic, he used to earn about RM1,200 to RM1,500 per month.
“But December is a boon for us as we can earn up to about RM3,000, and if we are hardworking, we can get more,” he said.
Zulkifli, however, hopes the authorities can help them get their own trishaw instead of renting from middlemen.
“These days, it can cost about RM8,000 to own one,” he said.
“The trishaw rental is RM60 per day, but some want a cut from our daily profit, which is unfair.”
Mohamad Ariffin, 68, said most of his customers are local tourists from other states.
“Despite the economic uncertainty, local tourists are willing to ride our trishaws compared to foreigners, who mostly are interested in photographing us, although there are some who take our rides,” he said.
Mohamad charges customers RM60 per hour and half the rate for a 30-minute ride.
He hopes that the relevant authorities can plan more all-year-round tourism programmes to enable trishaw riders to earn a better income.
Another trishaw rider, Shahrul Azim Mohamed, 19, who is among the youngest, believes that tourism is the only way for them to earn money.
“This is our only hope, that the tourism industry will bounce back after the pandemic,” he said.
Shahrul Azim said he will work hard this month to earn more to prepare for Ramadan and Hari Raya Puasa next year.
Founder of Creativity at Heart, Priscilla Ho, said customers who want to help riders sustain their livelihoods should approach them directly and pay them.
“Currently, there is no trishaw association in Penang representing the trishaw riders, and those who claim to represent them are not genuine. So, if the public or tourists want to take a ride, they should approach the riders directly and not go through any middleman.”
