TEMPO BOYS

HELPERS
Most tempo drivers employ a boy under the age of 12 as their helper and bus conductor. There are estimated to be some 18,000 tempo boys crewing the tempo buses of Bangladesh. There is eager competition for this sort of work. The boys fantasise that one day they will be tempo drivers themselves.

The tempo boy's responsibilities are to clean and maintain the tempo, call out for passengers at the tempo terminal, collect the fares from the passengers and guide the drivers through the traffic.

Tempo drivers say they employ children because they are more reliable with money and are willing to undertake any kind of work. They are not as heavy as adults, can stand on the footplate and do not affect the balance of the vehicle.

RIDING THE TEMPO
The tempo boy has to hang onto the rear of the tempo perched on a tiny footboard. He is in constant danger of falling off. Any sudden brake, any swerve or jerk to avoid the potholes in the road can catapult him from the footboard into
the road and the swirl of traffic. Accidents are frequent and sometimes fatal.

EMPLOYMENT LAW
Tempo boys are all illegally employed and uninsured. The Employment of Children Act 1938 prohibits work relating to transport for children under 15. The Bangladesh Motor vehicle Act 1939 prohibits standing on a footboard outside a transport vehicle. Other laws protecting children from the brutality, exploitation and negligence exists only on paper.