Back in 2007, a group of rickshaw makers in Bangladesh came up with a way to ease the gruelling labour of pushing pedals. They fitted rickshaws with electric motors and lead-acid batteries, offering drivers a low-cost alternative to human-powered vehicles. It was nothing short of a eureka moment.
The innovation gave birth to what many now jokingly call “Bangla Teslas” – a tongue-in-cheek reference to Elon Musk’s global electric car brand.
However, what began as an eco-friendly and affordable alternative soon spiralled into a complete chaos.
These unauthorised, mechanically flawed vehicles move unpredictably, weaving through traffic at will and with impunity, often causing accidents, injuries, and even deaths of both passengers and bystanders.
Experts warn that the real danger lies in their technical defects. Many of these rickshaws are fitted with faulty braking systems, making them highly prone to losing control, especially at higher speeds.
Amid such concerns, the government has approved the operation of battery-run rickshaws (e-rickshaws) on designated roads in city corporation areas by amending the Local Government (City Corporation) Act 2009 and issuing an ordinance in late August.
The revised law permits slow-moving vehicles, including human-powered, animal-drawn, pedal-driven, and low-speed battery-operated three-wheeled rickshaws, to operate in specific zones set by road and city authorities.
Death traps on roads
Accidents have surged in recent years with the rise of “Bangla Teslas,” as these often lose control at higher speeds, turning into death traps on the roads.
According to the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, 870 such accidents were recorded in 2024 alone, leaving 875 people dead and 1,779 injured.
By April 2025, another 371 accidents had already been reported, resulting in 378 deaths and 709 injuries.
The Road Safety Foundation further notes that between 2020 and November 2024, at least 1,179 people from 352 families were killed in auto-rickshaw-related crashes – the highest rate of family fatalities among all vehicle types.
Tasnim Tua, a school student from Dhaka’s Mirpur, shared her harrowing experience with TIMES of Bangladesh, recalling the accident she faced while riding a battery-powered auto-rickshaw.
“One day, I was returning home from school and couldn’t find any pedal rickshaws, so I took an auto-rickshaw instead. It started speeding from the very beginning. While taking a turn, the rickshaw lost balance and tipped over. I was badly injured,” she said.
In another incident, Syed Ishfaq-ul-Bari’s auto-rickshaw took a sharp turned at high speed in Dhaka’s Hazaribagh area, leaving his uncle with a broken leg.
“I could have lost my uncle that day. Anyone can be killed or seriously injured at any moment on these transports,” he said.
Confusing regulations
In November 2024, the High Court issued a ban on battery-powered auto-rickshaws in Dhaka, only for the decision to be reversed after widespread protests from drivers.
This year, two City Corporations introduced a new policy aimed at regulating these vehicles.
The policy mandates that all Bangla Teslas must be registered with the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and restricted to non-highway routes. It also sets speed limits of 30 km/h for low-speed models and 50 km/h for medium-speed variants.
However, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, secretary general of the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, criticised the policy, warning that it will lead to an increase in the number of auto-rickshaws.
“Unregulated approvals and imports of these vehicles will flood the roads in cities, towns, and rural areas, quickly creating a severe traffic problem,” he added.
Chaos in the streets
Since their introduction in 2007, battery-run auto-rickshaws have quickly gained popularity, particularly outside Dhaka. By 2011, these auto rickshaws had already occupied the streets of cities like Cumilla and Kushtia.
“After living in Dhaka for 27 years, I’ve never seen the roads this chaotic. The unchecked rise of these rickshaws, combined with the negligence of the authorities, has turned the city’s streets unsafe and unbearable,” said Saif Ahmed Saad, a job holder.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) now estimates over 60 lakh such rickshaws across the country, with 10 to 12 lakhs concentrated in Dhaka alone.
This sheer volume has brought overwhelming chaos to the country’s already overburdened streets.
Take the case of Dewan Mia, who came to Dhaka with few options and no training. Like many others, he switched to driving a battery-run auto-rickshaw to make a living and had to adapt quickly to survive.
Experts say drivers of these vehicles have no formal training and little understanding of traffic rules – a major factor behind the chaos and dangers they create on the roads.
“I wasn’t trained for this. I just had to figure it out when I arrived. I came here to operate a pedal rickshaw,” he told TIMES of Bangladesh.
Despite the risks, Dewan continues to drive because it is his only livelihood.
According to Numbeo’s Traffic Index, Bangladesh ranked as the world’s second most congested country in 2024 with a score of 261.8, slipping only slightly to fourth place by mid-2025 with a score of 253.2.
A study by the US-based National Bureau of Economic Research, using Google Maps data, identified Dhaka as the slowest city in the world – where a nine-kilometre trip can take up to 55 minutes, slower than walking.
While new battery-operated Bangla Teslas are being manufactured across the country, older pedal-powered models are also being converted to battery-operated ones. This shift is contributing to an increasing demand for electricity to charge these vehicles every day.
Additionally, the lead batteries used in these vehicles pose a significant threat. Once they reach the end of their life cycle, unlicensed recyclers often melt them down, releasing toxic fumes that contribute to lead poisoning – an already widespread problem in the country.
UNICEF reports that approximately 3.5 crore children in Bangladesh have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood.
