Battery-powered and electric rickshaws (e-rickshaws) will be barred from operating on Dhaka’s main roads, though registered e-rickshaws carrying up to four passengers will be permitted to run on internal roads.
Six-passenger e-rickshaws will be completely ineligible for registration with either of the two Dhaka city corporations.
These decisions were announced on Sunday by the State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD) and Co-operatives Mir Shahe Alam.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, the state minister made the announcements following a meeting between LGRD and Co-operatives Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan and Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohd Shuhada Othman.
Policy at vetting stage
According to the state minister, the policy for regulating auto-rickshaws is currently in its final stage and will soon be sent to the Ministry of Law for vetting.
Once the policy is returned after vetting, the government plans to issue it within a week or the following week to bring all battery-powered and electric rickshaws under a formal regulatory framework as quickly as possible.
To secure registration, e-rickshaws must obtain mandatory certification from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), other engineering universities, or the automobile departments of district-level government polytechnic institutes.
Additionally, vehicles must obtain a fitness certificate from the traffic department. Registrations will be issued by the respective city corporations and municipalities.
Solar charging and manufacturing rules
The proposed policy will also introduce guidelines for e-rickshaw charging points, which will require licences from the relevant city corporation or municipality, depending on their location.
The government plans to gradually introduce solar-powered charging facilities and intends to eventually make solar charging mandatory.
Shahe Alam noted that e-rickshaws are currently being manufactured indiscriminately across various locations, including Dhaka, whilst the government lacks specific data on the number of such factories.
Under the new regulations, manufacturers will also be brought under a regulatory framework.
Factories producing e-rickshaws according to designs certified by BUET or other engineering universities must register and obtain licences from their relevant city corporation or municipality.
Eight colour-coded zones and geofencing
To manage their operations, the government is considering dividing Dhaka into eight separate zones, four in the north and four in the south, based on a proposal from the traffic department.
Each zone will have a separate colour code, and e-rickshaws registered in one zone will be barred from operating in another.
The traffic department and city corporations will jointly determine the specific routes for e-rickshaws. The vehicles will also be equipped with geofencing technology.
Shahe Alam explained that introducing separate rickshaw lanes on major roads and ensuring orderly passenger boarding and drop-offs would be difficult and time-consuming, necessitating the restriction to internal roads within the eight designated zones.
The government plans to divide e-rickshaws into three categories. Within Dhaka, registered e-rickshaws will have a carrying capacity of either two or four passengers, with six-passenger models completely excluded from registration by Dhaka city corporations.
However, e-rickshaws carrying two, four, or six passengers will remain eligible for registration to operate in rural areas and on rural roads in district towns.
