What are the problems with the current bicycle taxis?

There are no gears on the bikes, whether modified or not. This makes journeys with heavy people and heavy weights extremely tough. When there is a hill, the passenger would have to dismount and both would walk. Bikes with gears are too costly for them to afford (as much as five times as expensive) and their way of life encourages people to live for today rather than to invest for tomorrow. Old habits take a very long time to change. Introducing the bicycle taxi was hard to achieve. Now they are accepted, another change will be just as tricky. Recent research suggested that to add gears would be as costly as to add a small motor.

The operators reckon they can carry up to 100 kilos weight though they admit that the top end of the scale is very hard work.

See also What would an ideal bicycle taxi be like?