Play store
DHAKA: The government has initiated a comprehensive regulatory framework to bring battery-powered three-wheeler rickshaws (e-rickshaws) under control across all city corporation areas, making registration mandatory and empowering city corporations to regulate their numbers, routes, zones and technical standards.
Under the new rules, no e-rickshaw will be allowed to operate without valid registration. City corporations, in consultation with traffic authorities and with prior government approval, will determine the permissible number of vehicles, designate routes and zones, introduce specific colour codes and enforce speed limits.
The regulations also cover vehicle fitness, driver training, passenger capacity, battery charging, environmental protection and road safety to curb uncontrolled growth and improve urban traffic management.
The Local Government Division issued the Three-Wheeled Low-Speed Battery-Operated Rickshaw (E-Rickshaw) Movement Rules, 2026 through a gazette notification on October 29, bringing them into immediate effect.
Senior Secretary of the Local Government Division Md Shahidul Hasan told BSS that the rules had been introduced to establish discipline in e-rickshaw operations and improve urban transport management.
“We want registration and movement of e-rickshaws to be regulated under a uniform policy in all city corporations across the country. This will help prevent an uncontrolled increase in the number of vehicles and ensure passenger safety,” he said, adding that all city corporations would gradually be brought under the rules.
To obtain registration, an applicant must be a Bangladeshi citizen and submit a prescribed application with a national identity card, two recent passport-size photographs, fee deposit receipt and fitness certificate.
The concerned city corporation will examine the vehicle against technical standards and safety features prescribed by the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
Registration must be granted within 30 working days if all requirements are fulfilled. If an application is rejected, the reasons must be communicated in writing within seven working days. An aggrieved applicant may appeal to the higher authority within 10 working days of receiving the decision.
A maximum of five e-rickshaws can be registered against one national identity card, either with one or multiple city corporations. However, a vehicle registered in one city corporation cannot operate commercially in another.
The one-time registration fee is Tk 8,000 for a two-passenger e-rickshaw and Tk 10,000 for a four-passenger vehicle. Annual renewal fees are Tk 4,000 and Tk 5,000 respectively, while a fitness certificate will cost Tk 1,000.
Each registered vehicle will receive a QR code-based registration number and number plate, along with a blue book containing vehicle details and information about its charging station or garage.
Registration will remain valid for five years. Existing e-rickshaws will also have the opportunity to meet the new technical standards through necessary structural modifications, while insurance coverage will be introduced gradually.