CAIRO - Zinger, or ‘Zinger the Sailor', as is writ large on the back of his vehicle, takes the liberty of violating all the traffic rules, while driving his tok-tok through a crowded marketplace in Nasr City, Cairo. Zinger feels he owns the world because Egypt's new president has, for the first time ever, referred to tok-tok drivers in his first official speech to the nation. Drivers of these three-wheelers consider this to be a formal recognition of their presence, giving them permission to drive their tok-toks passim. A tok-tok or rickshaw is like a small carriage with three wheels and a motorcycle motor; they've become very popular in many countries since the turn of the century, having originated in India in the 1960s. Tok-toks, the smallest means of transportation in Egypt, were first imported in 2005. They soon became indispensable in many villages as well as cities, providing work for many poor job seekers. Mohamed Zinger, who spent two years behind bars, is one of them. "This was the perfect job for me, as no-one will employ a man who's done time for theft," says Zinger sadly. "I've been punished in prison and it seems that I'm going to be punished for the rest of my life." So far, tok-toks are operating freely nationwide, yet they lack legal status. Most of the tok-tok drivers, whether under age or not, don't have a driver's licence; they just buy a tok-tok without having to get anyone's permission. "My two sons, aged 15 and 10, help me drive my tok-tok. If we have to have licences, I'll be working on my own," adds Zinger, 45, who can't walk properly after having major surgery on one of his legs. "Together, we make good money from my tok-tok, about LE250 per day. My sons could never earn that kind of cash if they got a governmental job," explains Zinger, adding that he likes Dr Morsi and feels that Egypt is about to enter a new era. "If we break the law by driving our tok-toks down major streets, we should be fined about LE500, but because of the lack of police these days, we can get away with it," he told the Egyptian Mail. "Morsi's speech has given us more confidence in ourselves, because he admitted our existence after we'd been neglected for years," Saad Abdel-Khaleq, a 32-year-old tok-tok driver, says. "We tok-tok drivers feel optimistic that our problems can be solved; if not, we'll stage a revolution." Abdel-Khaleq says that the tok-tok drivers want the president to license their vehicles, just like cars and taxis. "This will be better for everyone. For example, in the case of an accident, it's easier to arrest and punish the driver if his vehicle has a number plate," he explains. "If the tok-toks aren't licensed, the violations will continue." While tok-toks in the capital are prevented from operating in major streets, governorates such as el-Daqahlia and el-Sharqia have licensed these vehicles. "If we had licences, no-one could harm us," says Reda el-Ott, 38, another driver. "Licences will prove ownership of these vehicles in case they get stolen." "Many children drive tok-toks without licences and they're to blame for many of the accidents," says Mona el-Sayyed, a civil servant, angrily. "They treat the streets, cars and even the public like their private property, enforcing their own rules, without any responsibility or respect." She recalls that, before the revolution, there weren't any tok-toks on the street she lives in, but, due to the insecurity and the chaos, her street is now swarming with them. She hopes that the new president will end this farce. "I hope the new president doesn't license the tok-tok drivers, as we have the right to freely move wherever we want," says Ahmed el-Prince, a 15-year-old tok-tok driver, who is obviously worried because he would be too young to have a licence anyway. "We offer the public a service, just like taxis, but only cheaper," the ‘Prince' explained to the Egyptian Mail in a childish yet confident way. "I can earn about LE100 every day, which is a good salary," he added proudly. According to the Industrial Modernisation Centre, Egypt has more than 500,000 tok-toks with about 750,000 drivers operating them. "A tok-tok is like a lifeline for many unemployed young men. Most of these drivers are illiterate, which makes it very difficult for them to get any other job," says Souad Abdullah, a 59-year-old civil servant. “I really hope that the new president will give priority to vital issues such as illiteracy and unemployment, which will automatically solve other problems including that of the tok-toks. "Working as a tok-tok driver is much better than being a thief, a criminal or out of work," she explains, showing her sympathy for the tok-tok drivers. Unemployment jumped to 12 per cent in the third quarter of 2011, up from 9 per cent in the same period in 2010, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS). Nahed Othman, a housewife, who frequently uses tok-toks, says that, although it's dangerous to ride these three-wheelers because of their instability, they're very useful. "If the Government paved all the streets, including the neglected side streets, and operated affordable decent and public transportation, there would be no need for tok-toks," she stresses. ($1=LE6.05)
