Problems and Challenges Faced by the Street Vendors

Abstract

This research addresses the difficult lives of street vendors with the aim of informing policy development, guiding, empowering the community, and increasing economic opportunity. The life of street vendors was never easy, they faced many problems throughout their lives. Since street vendors have a huge impact on the economy by providing employment opportunities, they still don\'t get attention and are judged by the people. So, to know all the challenges, we talked to them and read various literature and research papers. They faced problems like inadequate water and electricity, per day income, family dependency, storage, COVID-19, and legal challenges. This research helps to show life from street vendors and create awareness about them among the people.

Introduction

Introduction and Context

Street vendors play a vital role in the urban economy by providing affordable goods and services. However, their lives are marked by persistent challenges including financial insecurity, unstable working conditions, health risks, social stigma, and legal ambiguities. This study investigates these issues specifically in Ahmedabad, aiming to uncover the real struggles and needs of vendors in the city.

2. Key Challenges Faced by Street Vendors

• Financial Insecurity: Vendors face fluctuating incomes due to variable demand and weather. They lack social security and access to affordable credit, often falling into debt traps with informal lenders.

• Legal and Workplace Uncertainty: Working in public spaces exposes vendors to eviction, harassment by authorities, and unclear regulations, making their livelihoods unstable.

• Health and Safety Risks: Long hours in polluted environments without basic amenities (e.g., clean water, toilets) result in poor health and limited access to healthcare.

• Social Exclusion: Vendors are often stigmatized as unskilled or uneducated, facing discrimination and lack of recognition in society.

• Competition and Market Pressure: They face intense competition, and the growth of e-commerce poses a new threat to their customer base.

3. Objectives of the Study

• Understand family dependency on vending income.

• Explore challenges and difficulties faced by vendors.

• Evaluate the impact of COVID-19 and awareness of relief measures.

• Analyze online payment use, including experiences of fraud and online selling behavior.

4. Research Methodology

• Location: Ahmedabad, India.

• Approach: Mixed-methods (qualitative + quantitative).

• Data Sources: Primary (Google Forms, interviews) and Secondary (papers, magazines).

• Sample: 154 street vendors using non-probability convenience sampling.

• Tools: Microsoft Excel, SPSS.

5. Research Gap

Existing studies lack:

• Recent data post-2014 Street Vendors Act.

• Disaggregated analysis by demographics, type of vending, and location.

• Detailed exploration of:

  • Climate-related impacts,

  • Access to social security and healthcare,

  • Legal harassment and mental health effects.

This study aims to fill those gaps and inform inclusive urban policy-making.

6. Data Analysis (Demographics & Income)

• Gender:

  • 68.6% Male

  • 31.2% Female

• Marital Status:

  • 62.3% Married

  • 37.7% Unmarried

• Age Distribution:

  • 26.6% aged 15–25

  • 44.8% aged 26–35

  • 21.4% aged 36–45

  • 7.1% aged 46+

• Annual Income:

  • 29.9% earn < ?1 lakh

  • 52.6% earn ?1–5 lakh

  • 11.7% earn ?6–10 lakh

  • 5.8% earn > ?10 lakh

Majority of vendors earn modest incomes, with nearly 30% struggling below ?1 lakh/year, reflecting economic vulnerability.

7. Significance and Beneficiaries

• Local Authorities: Can design better regulations and support mechanisms.

• Street Vendors: Gain visibility, empowerment, and potentially access to benefits and protections.

• Researchers: Contribute to the academic and policy discourse on informal economies and urban livelihood.

Conclusion

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Vidhi Jangid, Rajkumar Baheti, Urvil Shah. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.