Work Barge

Work Barges are large, flat ships used to transport workers living in the slums to the Industrial Sector upriver. Ships can carry roughly 80 passengers at once, and are almost always uncomfortably packed during the busy transit hours just before and after a typical work shift. The ships are a free transport service provided by the government; individuals pay by generating power for the barge. Barges arrive at ports along the Troco River every 15 minutes during the day, and every hour through night.   Every barge has a conductor and a peacekeeper, usually both male. The conductor steers the boat and communicates with other barges, while the peacekeeper acts as security. At the foot of every seat on the craft are two pedals; passengers sitting the barge are required to pedal as their fare. In addition to this, hand cranks crowd the perimeter railing of the vessel, giving standing passengers a way to generate power as well. In the conductor's station, a panel of small lights indicates which passengers are providing power. If a passenger is found to be slacking, the conductor dispatches the peacekeeper to fix the problem and potentially remove them from the vehicle.   Barges are powered by the pedaling of its passengers, and/or an Alumentum-powered propeller when necessary.   Barges are notoriously grimy, from both the masses of poor passengers and the polluted river. The empire has them cleaned weekly at their berth on the southern bank in the Industrial Sector. Cleaning the barges is widely known to be an unpleasant job with a high risk of Aluma-rot.