Fitting choice: Trishaw riders selecting their new clothes while Ho (second from right) joins them. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: A team of elderly trishaw riders here will be looking dandy this Chinese New Year.
Touted to be part of Penang’s living heritage, the 16 were each given festive attire worth RM200, thanks to a group of friends who paid the bill at a departmental store here recently.
Group leader Priscilla Ho, 60, said they had organised shopping trips since 2022 with other underprivileged communities.
“This is to show our appreciation for the sacrifices of the trishaw riders who have added colour to Penang’s streets for decades. Despite their age, they are still at the job.
“Some are even homeless, and we appeal to more people to help out,” she added.
One of the trishaw riders, Koah Ah Chin, 79, said he has been plying the trade for over 40 years. He said he now earns around RM50 daily, adding that he lives alone in a rented room after his wife and son died.
“My other three children are working out of state.
“I am not as fit as before, so I only manage one or two trips a day, depending on demand.
“Some days, there is no work at all. These new clothes mean a lot to me for Chinese New Year,” he said.
The riders had another thing to add to the cheer – each of them also received an angpow.
Meanwhile, another rider, Tan Joon Chow, 78, said he sleeps in his trishaw to save money and stay close to his work area near the Chowrasta Market.
“My trishaw is my room now, and I use the public washrooms nearby,” he said.
Tan, who started pedalling after leaving his job as a coffee shop worker over four decades ago, said Chinese New Year is always a period to look forward to.
“We used to ferry state officials and locals in the past but now depend mainly on tourists.
“I hope more tourists will take a trishaw ride to experience it.”
