Unregulated

I like to support the untaxed, unregulated part of the economy. I don’t haggle with Rikshawalas. They aren’t technically unregulated, they are self regulating. They are perfect order within the lack of order. Nobody decided their prices, nobody made their laws. They operate a thin plane above supply and demand. Ethics and regulations when they exist are based on their morality. They have license plates, but who’s checking ?! Even when anarchy befalls, banks, governments and their issued tokens become obsolete I bet Rikshawalas would still be roaming on their screeching whining rikshaws, charged with stolen electricity. [1] [2]

E-Rikshaws were too much for the unions.[3] Driven by the underpaid undereducated, Cheap contraptions that were quick to replace their mechanical predecessors. They arrive in high volume, operate at high frequency they are out of reach of the unions, perfect free market capitalism. Filling the voids between the public transport system, reliving the buses of their burden and passengers of the wait. Shuttling between metro stations and popular destinations or human settlements they fill in that void of the public transport system the government forgot about. They have tightly packed herds blocking the sides of the roads under and around metro stations. Rushing to get their bunch of passengers with every metro that arrives. You can’t tell whether its a scam or economical. Rates increase exponentially with distance and dusk. There is occasionally the newly emigrated driver from some far town where cash doesn’t flow, still adding his numbers linearly. Such fresh Immigrants with their primitive perception of money and lack of knowledge on supply / demand will take you to far off places for busy route shuttling prices.

Unlike auto rikshaws, E-Rikshaws don’t have any boundaries. They will tread any neighborhood posh or poor, as long as their battery takes them there.

[1] The pretext being there is no legal way to get electricity anymore.

[2] My fantasy post apocalyptic world would rather be powered by two stroke petrol engines and inline 4 cylinder diesel engines.

[3] It might just be that they came long after the economy’s liberalization when the idea of making unions was no longer popular.