THE TEMPO

THE TEMPO is a small three-wheeled bus increasingly used for public transport along set routes in the cities of Bangladesh. There are estimated to be more than 7,000 tempos in Dhaka, and more than 20,000 nationwide.

The tempo was first introduced into Dhaka in the late seventies. It is built around the chassis of a Vespa motor scooter. It was developed from the three-passenger baby-taxi. Its bodywork is made in Bangladesh and its parts are imported from Italy, India and Japan.

Recently the Bangladesh Government banned the cycle rickshaw from 'VIP roads' in Dhaka on the grounds that it created traffic jams and ruined the beauty of the city. The tempo faces no such restrictions.

DRIVERS The tempo is usually rented out to a challock (licensed driver) for 200 to
250 taka (£4 to £5) a day. The driver takes 800 to 1,000 taka a day in fares. He spends 250 to 300 a day on petrol, oil and wages of the tempo boy.

OWNERS Typically owners possess 1 to 5 tempos. They can recoup the initial
100,000 taka (£2,000) cost of a tempo in about two years, after which they earn a high return on their investment. Many owners are middle-class Bangladeshis or overseas workers who have recently returned from London or the Middle East. Some drivers finally get to buy their own tempos.