Battery-run rickshaws: Govt issues rules banning unlicensed vehicles in cities

The government has introduced new rules regulating the operation of battery-run three-wheeled rickshaws, making registration and licensing mandatory for their operation in Dhaka and other city corporation areas across Bangladesh to bring discipline in the transport system.

The Local Government Division issued the 'Rules for the Operation of Battery-Run Low-Speed Three-Wheeled Rickshaws (E-Rickshaws) in City Corporation Areas, 2026' in a gazette notification on Thursday.

Under the rules, each e-rickshaw must be registered with the competent authority and carry a unique QR-code-based registration number and number plate. Registration will remain valid for five years. A maximum of five e-rickshaws can be registered against a single national identity card across one or more city corporations.

An e-rickshaw registered in a city corporation cannot be operated commercially in another city corporation area.

Registration and renewal will require a fitness certificate confirming compliance with technical and safety specifications set by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and countersignature from the relevant traffic department.

Existing e-rickshaws may be approved after structural modifications to meet the prescribed standards. Each e-rickshaw will have an economic lifespan of 12 years from registration. It must also have a speedometer or odometer.

According to the rules, e-rickshaws will be brought under insurance coverage in phases.

The rules prohibit e-rickshaws from operating on national highways, expressways, elevated expressways, BRT corridors and other restricted roads.

They cannot use footpaths, while drivers must keep to the left lane, avoid illegal overtaking and lane changes, and refrain from using mobile phones while driving.

Depending on vehicle size, an e-rickshaw may carry a maximum of two or four passengers excluding the driver. Its speed near schools, hospitals, religious institutions and crowded areas must not exceed 15 kilometres per hour.

Authorities and traffic departments will determine zone-based routes, colours and the number of e-rickshaws allowed in each zone. An e-rickshaw could not use horns with an intensity exceeding 40 decibels.

The rules also provide for designated parking and licensed charging facilities, with emphasis on arranging renewable energy and solar power at the charging points.

They further require proper disposal and recycling of used batteries in line with environmental laws, prohibiting their dumping or burning in open areas, soil, water bodies or general waste.