The government has amended the Local Government (City Corporation) Ordinance – 2009, officially allowing battery-run rickshaws (e-rickshaws) to operate on designated roads within city corporation areas, subject to regulation.
Under the revised law, slow-moving general vehicles, including human-powered, animal-drawn, pedal-driven, and low-speed battery-operated three-wheeled rickshaws (e-rickshaw), are now permitted to operate in designated zones as determined by the road and city corporation authorities.
The amendment sets a maximum speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour for such vehicles. It also mandates that all battery-run rickshaws must be licensed and registered by the respective city corporation before they can operate legally.
“No person shall keep, rent out, or operate any slow-moving general vehicle other than a motor vehicle or motor car in the city without a license and registration issued by the city corporation,” the amendment states.
In June, Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan had announced plans for battery-powered rickshaws developed by BUET to begin operations in specific areas. According to that plan, these rickshaws will begin running in Paltan and Dhanmondi under the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), and in Uttara under the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) from August.
The use of battery-run rickshaws has been a point of debate for the past five years, with critics blaming their rising numbers for worsening Dhaka’s already severe traffic congestion.