Innovative bicycle delivery methods for goods in Africa's urban areas

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Fluctus channel. It's a fresh morning in northern Burundi and just outside Kayanza city, local farmers have set up along the roadside offering their farm produce. But the highlight of their produce are bananas, which have been purchased in bulk quantities by a few cyclists of Burundi. They secure multiple stalks of bananas behind their bicycles, fastening them tightly with rubber straps, knowing that a rough ride lies ahead. The load can be as heavy as 250 pounds, but the cyclists of Burundi have a risky yet efficient way to make this transport job easier, and that's hitching a ride. At the roadside, cyclists wait, looking out for a pickup or flatbed trucks with containers, anything with enough speed and power to help them conquer the steep terrain ahead. Once a ride is arranged, the cyclists just hold on to the tailgate or cargo cage of the vehicle. Traveling at speeds of 25 to 30 miles an hour, the cyclists of Burundi must grip the hitched vehicle tightly with one hand while using the other hand to steady their bicycles along the steep winding roads. Some truck drivers even look out for the hitching cyclists, slowing down or adjusting their driving to protect the cyclists tethered behind them. While hitching a ride helps the cyclists of Burundi reach their destinations faster, they often choose to pedal manually when the terrain is flatter and less demanding. However, it may seem like a clever idea, but hitching a ride comes with significant risks, especially given the rough terrain, high speeds, and the heavy loads the cyclists carry. Moreover, it's not entirely legal in the region, so those who do it must constantly stay alert for the police patrolling in the region. Once the cyclists reach the local market, they sell their bananas or other farm produce to street vendors, making their exhausting journey worthwhile. Bananas are a staple food in Burundi. They are an important part of the diet and are used in various forms, including cooked, fried, or in stews. As a result, transporting bananas, despite the significant risks involved, can certainly be profitable for cyclists. Also, besides bananas, these cyclists can also carry firewood, bricks, and other household goods, proving to be indispensable. Burundi is a small landlocked country in East Africa, known for its rolling hills, vibrant culture, and deeply agrarian economy. Despite limited infrastructure, the people of Burundi, such as the hitching cyclists, have found ingenious ways to sustain their livelihood. Such is the case of yet another African country, who also boasts similar transportation techniques using their special handmade bicycles or chukadus. Welcome to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the culture of the chukadu runs deep in Congolese cities like Goma. For many here, owning a chukadu is a sign of economic opportunity. Riders use them to haul several types of goods, navigating markets and busy streets. These handmade wooden scooters are a lifeline for the people of this city, and behind each one is the skilled labor of artisans like Bokaza Deniz. With a machete in hand and years of experience, Bokaza shapes the chukadu from solid wood, starting with carving the wheels with great precision. For this, Bokaza doesn't just rely on basic tools. One of his clever inventions is a simple compass made from a stick and two nails. This helps him make nearly perfectly round wheels, which he fine-tunes with his machete. To get the right wheel width, he uses a chukadu frame and adjusts the back wheel until it fits just right, making sure it will match the rest of the scooter. Though most of the chukadu is made from wood, Bokaza adds metal parts like bearings and springs to make it move smoothly. He also wraps the wheels in rubber from old tires for better grip and durability. The nailed tire from the old wheel is taken off using a hammer and may be reused for the new wheel. Every part is put together by hand with careful cuts and attention to detail. However, Bokaza isn't the only one who does this work. He has a small team that helps him and learns the trade along the way. This passing of skills ensures the tradition continues, and soon others will be able to build their own chukadus. Once the pieces are ready, the chukadu comes together. An oversized wooden scooter with a platform in the middle to carry heavy loads. On flat ground, operators push the chukadu forward. On slopes, they stand on the platform and let gravity take over. Sometimes, they even hitch a ride from passing motorbike riders, forming a chain of chukadus speeding through the streets. In places like Goma, where roads and resources are limited, the chukadu isn't just transportation, it's a solution. For years, it's been a key part of how goods move around the city, a true example of local innovation. Such inventions highlight the talent and versatility that people have when designing and creating these vehicles. Such ingenuity is also demonstrated in the Philippines, where in certain regions, improvised vehicles called caritins are built to provide a solution to local communities. Often seen in urban and semi-rural regions, such traditional hand carts made from scrap wood or metal are a simple and cheap solution for transporting goods around cities, or taking them to rural communities and provinces like Papanga and Laguna. These communities usually require basic products, such as drinking water, so drivers carry several gallons to distribute among homes. In addition to being manually operated, an important aspect of the caritins mobility is that its operators strap it to the back of buses or trucks to be pulled along the roads. It's an efficient method for traveling long distances, and it only depends on the resistance of the rope or cable with which the caritin is tied. This rope is quickly hooked by the operators as the vehicles are moving. Their experience has allowed these maneuvers to be as smooth as possible. Although operators take advantage of other vehicles to move around, they must also be able to maneuver while being dragged. That is why the caritins have a basic steering system using a steering column or bicycle handlebars. When they reach their destination, they release the rope and maneuver to the place. One by one they pass each home, delivering the products to the inhabitants. In the case of water, the operator is distributed in the containers that each of the homes has. Once they have distributed all of the products in the area, the operators look for a new truck to hook up and repeat the process. Thanks to this utility, the caritin remains one of the most popular means of transporting goods in the Philippines. Being made only with reused materials, it highlights the resourcefulness of people when adapting to limited resources. Similar aptitude is also shown by people living in El Salvador's mountainous regions, building and riding their caritas up and down the hills. While El Salvadorian highlands demonstrate the rich beauty of nature, this region also signifies a place of livelihood for lumberjacks like Miguelin de la Torre, who works in these elevated areas in his carita. These primitive vehicles hand-built by the lumberjack like Miguelin are an important part of their job, which helps them quickly transport tons of logs downhill. The cart building process does not employ any sophisticated equipment or complex tools. The job gets done just by using a disc saw to cut the logs and nails to fix the joints. Operating with just gravity and no external propulsion, Miguelin does not incur any extra expenses like fuel or spare parts for his vehicle. With his carita, Miguelin ventures into the high areas of the mountains to collect logs. Each cart typically carries two people, one to steer and the other to manage the load and help break. Breaking involves foot pressure on the ground or using a wooden rope mechanism. The goods are usually tied down with ropes or stacked within wooden frames. Operators use a coordinated technique, pushing off from the top of a hill then riding the momentum downhill, often at high speeds, requiring razor-sharp reflexes and teamwork. Miguelin shares how these inventions are a vital part of his livelihood. Without them, carrying logs manually would be time-consuming and dangerous. The gravity cart, or caritas, not only saves time but also increases the quantity of wood transported in a single day. Across the world, from Burundi's hitching cyclists to El Salvador's gravity carts, simple yet powerful inventions have helped people move goods, sustain businesses and support their families. Though born of necessity, these vehicles represent a shared human trade, the relentless drive to adapt, create and survive. That's the end of this video. I hope you enjoyed it. Make sure to subscribe to this channel so you don't miss any of our new content. See you next time!