Malawi's alternative: bicycles for hire

NAMITETE, Malawi (Reuters Life!) - Bernard Banda makes $5 a day carrying people on his bicycle, good money in a country where more than half the 13 million people live below a dollar a day.

"I charge MK70 (50 U.S. cents) per trip and on a good day I make about MK700 ($5) or more," Bernard says.

Banda is not the only one cashing in on a bicycle transport industry now booming because of the rising costs of fuel pushed up by strong global oil prices.

Along Mchinji road -- the highway linking Malawi to Zambia's eastern province -- colorfully decorated bicycles are neatly parked, waiting to transport students to a nearby government college, nursing staff to a hospital and visitors around the area.

The bicycles are remodeled to suit the business. A second seat is attached to the bicycle behind the driver's seat. The passenger seat is finished in colorful but cheap leather, comfortably sized to accommodate any size of passenger.