DHAKA, Bangladesh - With legs of steel and the voice of an angel, Omar Ali has won hearts across Bangladesh.

After two-and-a-half decades of hauling passengers through Dhaka's gridlocked traffic as a cycle-rickshaw rider, Ali swept to victory in an 'American Idol'-style television singing contest reserved for members of his gruelling trade.

"In Bangladesh, rickshaw drivers don't have any status. We are sometimes treated badly for clogging up the roads, so it's amazing to have not only status but to be famous," he says of his new life.

The 45-year-old beat competition from thousands of other singing drivers to win "Magic Tin Chakar Taroka", or "Three-wheeler Stars", wowing the show's three judges and viewers at home who voted for him via SMS text messages.

The father-of-four, who learned to sing as a teenager by listening to the radio, has also gained international recognition, with the show broadcast via satellite in the United States, Britain, Australia and Africa.

The programme's presenter, Asaduzzaman Noor, a former MP and renowned television personality, said Ali's voice stood out.

"Whenever he sings, he sings from deep inside. It's soul-stirring. He was under so much physical and mental pressure as a rickshaw driver I think singing gave him mental peace, which has given him a different dimension as a performer," Noor said, adding that the show had created an interest in the country's dying folk songs.

These days Ali earns 10,000 taka (S$222.12) for each appearance - a huge pay rise from his 150 to 200 taka daily wage riding a rickshaw.

The three-wheelers - still the cheapest and sometimes only mode of transport that can navigate Dhaka's narrow alleys - are a vital source of income for many in the impoverished country.

The physically gruelling work is often criticised by rights groups as inhumane, but several attempts to eliminate rickshaws from Bangladesh have come to nothing.

"I'm getting old, so rickshaw driving was becoming harder on my body each day," Ali said.

He says he is now more careful about protecting his voice.

"Before winning, whenever I was at a tea stall, I'd sing for the other customers," he said.

"It's noisy in those places so I'd have to sing loudly to be heard. I don't do that anymore because I don't want to damage my vocal chords."

Ali will release a solo album in January, and plans to start a small business with his 100,000 taka (1,450 dollars) winnings from the contest.

"It's hard to believe I'm now a respected singer in this country," he said.

"Before, I was anonymous. I would entertain passengers to try and cheer them up if they were stuck in Dhaka's traffic jams. There wasn't much money to be made from that."