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The government is planning to ban battery-powered and electric rickshaws from Dhaka’s main roads while allowing registered e-rickshaws carrying a maximum of four passengers to operate on internal roads.
Six-passenger e-rickshaws will not be eligible for registration with either of Dhaka’s two city corporations, according to State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shah Alam.
The state minister disclosed the plan while responding to questions from journalists after a meeting between Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moin Khan and Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohammad Suhada Osman at the Secretariat on Sunday (August 30).
Mir Shah Alam said the policy on regulating e-rickshaws is at the final stage and will soon be sent to the Law Ministry for vetting.
“Once the policy is issued in accordance with the law, e-rickshaws and electric rickshaws will come under a regulatory framework,” he said.
BUET Certification and Fitness Required
Under the proposed policy, e-rickshaws will require certification from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), other engineering universities, or automobile departments of government polytechnic institutes at the district level.
A fitness certificate from the traffic authorities will also be mandatory before registration.
City corporations and municipalities will be responsible for registering the vehicles, the state minister said.
The policy will also regulate e-rickshaw charging points. Authorities plan to gradually introduce solar-powered charging facilities and eventually make solar charging mandatory.
Charging points will also require licenses from the relevant city corporation or municipality.
E-Rickshaw Factories to Come Under Regulation
The government also plans to bring e-rickshaw manufacturing factories under a regulatory framework.
Mir Shah Alam said e-rickshaws are currently being manufactured at various locations across the country without proper government records.
Factories producing e-rickshaws will have to follow designs certified by BUET or other engineering universities and obtain the necessary licenses. They will also have to operate as registered companies.
Dhaka to Be Divided into Eight Zones
In Dhaka, the government plans to divide the city into eight zones—four in the north and four in the south—to regulate e-rickshaw movement.
Each zone will reportedly be assigned a separate colour, and authorities will try to prevent e-rickshaws registered in one zone from entering another.
The routes for registered e-rickshaws will be jointly determined by the city corporations and traffic authorities. Geo-fencing technology will also be introduced to ensure that vehicles remain within their designated zones.
“E-rickshaws will not be allowed on main roads. We will create eight zones so that they can operate on internal roads,” Mir Shah Alam said.
He added that creating dedicated rickshaw lanes on major roads and ensuring orderly passenger boarding and alighting would be difficult and time-consuming.
Only Two- and Four-Passenger E-Rickshaws in Dhaka
The proposed registration system will allow e-rickshaws carrying two or four passengers in Dhaka. Six-passenger vehicles will not be registered by either Dhaka city corporation.
However, two-, four- and six-passenger e-rickshaws will be eligible for registration in rural areas and on rural roads in district towns.
The state minister said e-rickshaws seeking registration in Dhaka must be manufactured according to designs certified by BUET or other engineering universities.
He expressed hope that the new policy would bring the rapidly growing e-rickshaw sector under effective government regulation.
