Streets across the country are being transformed—some say overwhelmed—by a vast, unregulated fleet of battery-powered autorickshaws. Nowhere is the impact more visible than in Dhaka, where congestion, accidents and widespread rule-breaking have pushed the authorities into a new battle to regain control of the roads.
Yet the problem is no longer Dhaka’s alone. Major cities and district towns are now experiencing similar spikes, as rural areas funnel thousands more vehicles into urban corridors already stretched beyond capacity. Their growing presence even in remote villages is adding to concerns, with many of the vehicles freely roaming highways and putting lives at constant risk.
Officials warn that, with minimal oversight, overlapping ownership interests and rising dependence among low-income households, the challenge could soon outgrow the capacity of any single agency to manage. The situation has become so complex that no one can say with certainty how many battery-run rickshaws are currently on the roads. In the absence of any effective regulatory framework, the parts continue to be imported openly, right under the authorities’ noses.
Dhaka: At the breaking point
On the main roads of the capital, battery-powered autorickshaws speed through traffic, often ignoring bans and driving the wrong way. Collisions with private cars are now a daily occurrence. Attempts by police to conduct enforcement drives routinely result in the drivers taking to the streets in protest.
The ownership of these vehicles, long suspected to involve powerful individuals, is now being publicly acknowledged.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner SM Sazzat Ali told TIMES of Bangladesh, “It is heard that some individuals own 12 to 25 autorickshaws each. I want the person who owns a rickshaw to be the one who operates it. We are examining who the owners actually are.”
“I have heard that many police personnel also own autorickshaws,” he said responding to a question, adding that if specific information and evidence are found, “action will certainly be taken” against those members of the police.
Leaders of the Autorickshaw Owners’ Association say building owners, businessmen and police personnel collectively own thousands of vehicles. Many owners are unwilling to submit official lists to the authorities, fearing harassment once their names become known.
“No one knows how many battery-operated rickshaws actually exist in the country,” Mizanur Rahman, vice-president of the Autorickshaw Owners’ Association, told TIMES.
But the association estimates that Dhaka North and South City Corporation areas together host around one million autorickshaws, with another half million around the capital’s periphery. In areas such as Hatirjheel, Rampura and Khilgaon, autorickshaws and garages are densely concentrated. Whenever drivers announce protests against the government or police, these areas are often the first to erupt into road blockades.
Garage owners say each autorickshaw costs at least Tk80,000 to build, excluding the battery. Batteries—water, lithium or powder—vary in cost, and drivers typically pay owners Tk450 to Tk600 per day depending on the locality. Charging fees range from Tk30 to Tk 80.
Traffic Police impounding procedures vary: in Mohammadpur, seized vehicles are kept for 15 days and released for Tk1,200 plus a stamped affidavit of Tk300, while other areas keep them for seven days for a similar fee. Owners frequently allege that batteries and meters go missing from dumping stations.
Chattogram and Sylhet: Spiralling numbers
Although Dhaka remains the epicentre, other cities are catching up fast.
In Sylhet, an estimated 25,000 autorickshaws operate inside the city, with another 30,000 in surrounding rural areas.
In Chattogram, the scale is dramatically higher. Approximately 300,000 run inside the city and an estimated 500,000 more across the wider Chattogram region.
Daily flows from Gazipur, Narayanganj, Keraniganj and Savar continue to feed more vehicles into Dhaka, according to owners’ association leaders.
Transport analysts say the numbers cited by the police are significantly higher still.
Govt’s push for e-rickshaws
Amid mounting disorder, the government has turned to a more regulated, environmentally friendly alternative.
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) has designed an electric autorickshaw—the e-rickshaw—meant to replace existing vehicles in phases. A government gazette on e-rickshaws was issued on 28 August, and work is underway to finalise the regulations.
DMP Additional Police Commissioner (Administration) Md Sarwar said e-rickshaws will soon begin operating in Uttara (DNCC Zone-1) and Dhanmondi–Ramna (DSCC Zone-1). As operations start, existing autorickshaws will be gradually removed from those areas.
According to Dhaka South City Corporation, the Buet-designed e-rickshaw looks similar to current models, but runs 70 km per charge, with a 30 km/h speed cap and features such as hydraulic disc brakes, parking brake, improved lighting, and a battery life of about 18 months. Old batteries will be recyclable.
A Buet team led by Dr Md Ehsan conducted fieldwork among drivers, mechanics and passengers before finalising the design. The prototype was completed in early 2025.
Local Government Division Joint Secretary Mahbuba Irene confirmed that bus routes will remain off-limits to e-rickshaws.
DMP Joint Commissioner Anisur Rahman said several firms have submitted e-rickshaws to Buet for evaluation. Future ownership rules will allow individuals to own one vehicle using their NID, while commercial owners may possess three. Dhaka currently has no accurate tally of existing autorickshaws, he said, adding some owners control more than a hundred.
A system resistant to reform?
Despite ongoing crackdowns—such as the installation of “trappers” on major roads following DNCC administrator Mohammad Ejaz’s 8 April directive—the authorities admit that little progress has been made.
Buet’s professor Shamsul Hoque argues that previous attempts to regulate transport in Dhaka have repeatedly failed:
“Old buses were never removed; when 80,000 rickshaw licences were issued, more than double operated on the roads,” he said. He believes using Buet’s involvement to justify removing autorickshaws is “unrealistic” and warns it could fuel profiteering and create a “disaster”.
Transport expert and Buet professor Md Hadiuzzaman notes that autorickshaws now represent a business, not just a livelihood.
Removing them from Dhaka “will not be easy”, he says. “Alternative income opportunities must first be arranged for people outside Dhaka. The government must act strategically. Planned registration and driver training with proper licensing are essential.”
A nationwide challenge
From Dhaka to Chattogram and Khulna to Sylhet, country’s autorickshaw boom has evolved into a complex ecosystem involving millions of livelihoods, unregulated capital flows, and deeply embedded networks of ownership.
With the government preparing to introduce e-rickshaws while phasing out existing ones, the country faces a difficult transition: modernising transport without triggering social unrest, economic disruption or new forms of exploitation.
For now, the roads remain congested, enforcement remains inconsistent, and the real size of the autorickshaw fleet—across cities and villages alike—remains anyone’s guess.
