‘Framework underway to regulate battery rickshaws’

The unchecked proliferation of battery-run auto-rickshaws on urban and semi-urban roads, particularly in Dhaka, is posing a growing threat to road safety, worsening congestion and creating fresh challenges for traffic management.
Against this backdrop, the government is moving to bring battery-run auto-rickshaws under a digital registration and regulatory framework, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told parliament on Monday.
The issue came up during a discussion on a calling attention notice under Rule 71 of the Rules of Procedure raised by BNP woman MP Rehana Akter Ranu.
Responding to the notice, the minister said a policy framework had already been formulated to regulate battery-run auto-rickshaws and similar vehicles. 
The framework will cover registration, designated routes, driver management, traffic control and enforcement.
Under the proposed system, approved vehicles will be issued QR codes and equipped with digital tracking facilities, enabling authorities to identify them and prevent multiple auto-rickshaws from being operated illegally under a single registration number.
The government also plans to phase out harmful lead-acid batteries and introduce safer, environmentally friendly alternatives, he said. 
Uncontrolled recycling of lead-acid batteries is polluting air, soil and water and affecting sectors including agriculture and poultry farming, he added.
According to the minister, Bangladesh has an estimated 5-8 million electric three-wheelers, consuming around 5% of the country's total electricity generation. While there are roughly 3,300 legal charging points nationwide, Dhaka alone has an estimated 48,000 illegal charging points.
Illegal electricity connections linked to such charging facilities cause the government an estimated annual revenue loss of Tk4,000 crore, he said.
The minister also said uncontrolled battery-run auto-rickshaws were involved in 13.54% of road crashes in 2025.
Originally intended for residential lanes and short-distance last-mile connectivity, the vehicles now routinely operate on major city roads and even high-speed corridors, further complicating traffic management in Dhaka.
Aminul Islam Sujon, technical adviser (road safety) at Vital Strategies, said many battery-rickshaw drivers had little or no knowledge of road transport laws and traffic regulations and lacked formal or informal training.
“Without proper knowledge and skills, they drive motorised battery rickshaws and violate relevant laws and traffic rules,” he said, urging the government to strictly regulate their operation and strengthen enforcement to improve road safety.
Rehana Akter Ranu said effective measures to regulate auto-rickshaws, particularly battery-run ones, were essential to bring discipline to Dhaka's increasingly chaotic roads.