Battery-run rickshaws barred from highways, expressways and elevated expressways

The government has introduced new rules governing the operation of battery-powered three-wheeled e-rickshaws in city corporation areas, including the capital. The rules specify which roads the vehicles may use and which are off-limits, their maximum speeds, passenger limits, and the requirements for registering drivers and rickshaws.

The Local Government Division of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives issued the City Corporation Area Three-Wheeled Low-Speed Battery-Powered Rickshaw (E-Rickshaw) Operation Rules, 2026 on Thursday.

Published in an extraordinary issue of the Bangladesh Gazette, the 12-page rules apply to e-rickshaws operating in all city corporation areas across the country and are stated to take effect immediately.

Under the new rules, e-rickshaws will not be allowed on national highways, expressways, elevated expressways, major bus routes or roads designated as prohibited by the relevant authorities. Their use on footpaths is also banned. An auto-rickshaw registered in one area cannot be operated for commercial purposes in another city corporation area.

The rules stipulate that city corporations and the relevant traffic departments will jointly determine the routes on which e-rickshaws may operate. The routes will be organised by zone, and an e-rickshaw assigned to one zone will not be allowed to operate in another.

To facilitate traffic management, the relevant city corporation and traffic department will jointly finalise the zoning arrangements, the number of e-rickshaws permitted, their routes and their colours.

In other words, the rules do not provide a comprehensive list of the specific roads in Dhaka on which e-rickshaws will be allowed to operate. Responsibility for drawing up that list rests with the relevant city corporations and traffic departments. The rules therefore do not mean that e-rickshaws have been authorised to operate on every lane and alley in a given area.

Section 7 prohibits e-rickshaws from operating on national highways, expressways, elevated expressways, major bus routes, including Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes, and any roads on which the authorities impose restrictions from time to time.

Drivers must always keep to the left-hand lane. Using a mobile phone while driving, overtaking in violation of the rules and changing lanes improperly are prohibited.

The maximum speed for three-wheeled e-rickshaws has been set at 25 kilometres per hour. However, the limit falls to 15 kilometres per hour near schools, hospitals, places of worship and crowded areas.

Passenger numbers are also restricted. An e-rickshaw may carry no more than two or four passengers, depending on its approved seating capacity, excluding the driver. Carrying additional passengers beyond the authorised two- or four-seat capacity is not permitted.

Commercial goods other than luggage that passengers can carry by hand may not be transported. Horns producing sound levels exceeding 40 decibels are also prohibited.

E-rickshaw drivers must be registered. Applicants must be Bangladeshi citizens aged at least 18. Anyone declared of unsound mind by a competent court will be ineligible for registration.

Applicants must submit an application to the relevant authority using the prescribed form, accompanied by an attested copy of their national identity card, two recently taken attested passport-sized photographs, a receipt for payment of the registration fee and a fitness certificate.

The authority will scrutinise applications and issue registrations within 30 working days of receiving the application. Each registered e-rickshaw will be issued a unique registration number and number plate featuring a QR code. The number must be displayed in a visible position on the vehicle.

Registration will remain valid for five years. An individual may register a maximum of five e-rickshaws across one or more city corporations against a single national identity card.

Every e-rickshaw must meet the technical standards and safety specifications prescribed by the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Each vehicle must also be fitted with a speedometer and an odometer.

Under the rules, an e-rickshaw will have an economic service life of 12 years from the date of registration. Once this period expires, its registration must be cancelled and its number plate withdrawn.

An e-rickshaw's fitness certificate will be valid for five years. Its fitness must be reassessed when the registration is renewed.

E-rickshaws already operating on the roads must also undergo the necessary structural modifications to meet BUET's prescribed standards and obtain approval. In such cases, a fitness certificate must be obtained along with an endorsement from the relevant traffic department.

E-rickshaws are also to be brought under insurance coverage in phases.

The relevant city corporation, in consultation with the traffic department, will designate an adequate number of parking areas in each ward or at other suitable locations.

E-rickshaw batteries may be charged only at authorised charging points approved by the relevant authorities and licensed by the respective city corporation, or in designated garages. Arrangements must be made to use renewable energy or solar power at these charging points and garages.

Batteries must be charged at legally registered charging stations. These stations must have grid connections with net-metering facilities and arrangements to use electricity generated by solar panels.

Where necessary, solar-generated electricity may be supplied to the grid during the day, with grid electricity used to charge batteries at night. Government approval must be obtained to establish a charging station. Illegal use of electricity for charging will be punishable under existing laws.

The new rules also set out requirements for battery management. No individual or organisation may dispose of old or unusable batteries, or any parts of them, in open spaces, on the ground, in water bodies or mixed with general waste.

When a new battery is purchased, the seller must collect the old battery and ensure that it is sent to a recycling plant approved by the Department of Environment.

No individual or organisation may engage in battery dismantling or smelting without clearance from the Department of Environment. Old or unusable batteries must be handed over only to authorised agents, dealers or collectors.

The rules classify several activities as offences, including operating an unregistered e-rickshaw; exceeding the authorised speed limit; carrying too many passengers; using an unauthorised battery; modifying the motor or vehicle structure; operating in prohibited areas; driving dangerously; carrying goods beyond the permitted passenger luggage allowance; disobeying traffic signals; and fleeing after an accident.

Legal action may be taken against offenders.

In the event of an accident, the driver must, as applicable, immediately inform the police station or file a general diary (GD) and notify the relevant authority for the provision of first aid. The police must also inform the relevant authority about the incident.

The new rules also have provisions on an approval process for e-rickshaw manufacturers. A recommendation committee headed by an additional secretary of the Local Government Division will oversee the process.

The committee will include the chief executive officer of the relevant city corporation, representatives of the traffic police and BUET, and a representative of the deputy commissioner's office.

The committee will examine manufacturers' designs, specifications and other required documents to determine whether they comply with BUET's prescribed technical standards and safety requirements. It will then recommend whether the manufacturer should be approved.

Subject to government approval, the relevant authority will issue a manufacturing licence.

In addition, government, autonomous and private institutions, scheduled banks and finance companies may provide loans to drivers and owners to purchase e-rickshaws manufactured to approved standards and to develop supporting infrastructure.

Although the new rules have come into force, the relevant authorities must still determine how many e-rickshaws may operate in each city corporation, which roads they may use and which colours will be assigned to vehicles operating in different zones.

The rules empower city corporations, with prior government approval and in consultation with the traffic department, to determine the permitted number of e-rickshaws across their jurisdictions or within individual zones.

For passengers and drivers in the capital, the most important issue will therefore be which roads Dhaka North and Dhaka South City Corporations, together with the traffic department, designate for e-rickshaw operations.

The decisions will determine how many e-rickshaws may operate in each part of Dhaka.

Urban planner Professor Adil Muhammad Khan has described the government's initiative to introduce new regulations for battery-powered auto-rickshaws as a positive step.

However, he has expressed concern over several specific shortcomings in the rules and uncertainty surrounding their implementation.

Adil Muhammad Khan said the rules lacked a clear timeline or a realistic roadmap for bringing the vast number of auto-rickshaws operating across the city's narrow lanes and alleys under a regulated framework. As a result, there was a lack of clarity over the future of vehicles operating outside the law.

He also identified the provision allowing multiple auto-rickshaws to be registered against a single national identity card as a policy flaw. In his view, each NID should have been eligible for the registration of only one auto-rickshaw to safeguard the financial interests of marginalised drivers and prevent commercial investors from taking control of the sector.

This urban planner considers the absence of clearly defined speed limits for residential areas and roads within cities one of the major weaknesses of the rules.

Without specific speed limits, he said, it would be difficult to reduce avoidable accidents and traffic disorders.

He also noted that, although the rules encourage the use of renewable energy for battery charging, they set no deadline for its adoption.

Furthermore, the absence of specific penalties for the improper disposal of old batteries raises concerns that enforcement could prove weak.

Adil Muhammad Khan said restoring discipline to urban transport would require a clear cap on the total number of auto-rickshaws operating in cities, designated zones and explicit operating guidelines tailored to differences in road infrastructure.

He added that political commitment and effective coordination between city corporations and traffic departments would be essential to the successful implementation of the rules.