Mr. Rai & Family
Tea and Momo Shop Owner
Mr. Rai owns "Subi Momo & Tea Shop" on the busy Ekantakuna Street of Patan. Together with his son-in-law Ashim, who is featured in the video above, he serves customers sweet chai tea and momos (a traditional Nepali-style dumpling) and other snacks throughout the day.
As bellies are filled, water tanks are emptied, vegetables and other ingredients consumed, and fuel canisters steadily depleted. Ashim and Mr. Rai use their Portal Bicycle to replenish these items with ease and efficiency.
Mr. Rai has owned his tea shop for eight years. It used to take many trips a day to the market and various stores to buy everything necessary for his business.
With the Portal Bicycle, multiple large and heavy items can be carried at once. This saves both time and Mr. Rai's aching back - he used to have to carry everything by hand!
Mr. Rai was the first entrepreneur to partner with Portal and get a cargo bike! In the months since receiving the bicycle, he has paid fixed weekly installments to cover its cost. Within six months of first using the bike, he will have paid off its total cost and will own the Portal Bicycle outright. While the weekly installments are easily manageable for Mr. Rai's income, he would not have enough money to pay for the entire Portal Bicycle at once, upfront.
Once the total cost of the bicycle has been paid, Portal can fund a cargo bike for the next entrepreneur.
Microfinance bicycles >> empowerment through ownership
“It would be good to see friends and neighbors having Portal Cargo Bikes. They’re the best thing. They help grow local business, so I feel good about that.”
