Rickshaw Pullers provide a much needed and valuable public service, especially for the low income groups in cities, at very cheap rates. In areas where lanes and by-lanes are too small for vehicular traffic, cycle rickshaws are the only practical means of transport.
In most cities, in the absence of any feeder service between the major transport network stations like railways, metro rail, bus, etc., there is always a demand for cycle-rickshaws. While no pan-India study on rickshaw pullers is available, it is estimated that there are about 8 million rickshaw pullers in the country, with only about 1.1 million being registered at various municipalities.