Delhi plans to ban petrol rickshaws and scooters in effort to cut toxic fumes | India

The unruly chaos on Delhi’s roads would be unrecognizable were it not for the rickety rickshaws and scooters that zip through India’s capital, emitting toxic fumes in their wake. But now ambitious policies aim to give the city’s most recognizable vehicles an environmental makeover.

On Monday, the Delhi government announced plans to eventually ban petrol scooters, motorcycles and autorickshaws in favor of electric-powered ones in a bid to reduce dangerously high pollution levels in the city by the end of the decade.

Policies that will see new petrol and gas scooters, trucks and buses phased out in the capital over the next two years have been hailed by some environmentalists as a “game changer” in the fight to cut toxic emissions.

In recent years, transportation has been a major contributor to Delhi’s air pollution, which has consistently reached levels dangerously high for human health and has become an emergency in the capital, linked to tens of thousands of deaths each year.

Scooters and rickshaws, mostly powered by petroleum and compressed fossil gas, account for more than two-thirds of the tens of millions of vehicles on Delhi’s roads. According to the new policy, India’s capital will issue new number plates only to electric small trucks and three-wheelers known as e-rickshaws from 2027, and to e-scooters and electric motorcycles from 2028.

The Delhi government has said it hopes the move will lead to electrification of at least 30% of the capital’s vehicle fleet by 2030. “The policy focuses on pure EVs that offer superior environmental benefits as zero-emission vehicles,” the Delhi government said in a statement on Monday.

Amit Bhatt, Director General of the International Council on Clean Transport, said: “The proposed phase-out of two- and three-wheelers could be a game-changer in Delhi’s fight against air pollution.”

Emphasizing that most of the vehicles on Delhi’s roads consist of scooters, rickshaws and trucks, Bhatt added, “Accelerating the transition to zero-emission vehicles can significantly reduce vehicle emissions, improve public health and pave the way for a broader transition to zero-emission transport across all vehicle segments.”

The Delhi state government, led by the nationally governing Bharatiya Janata party, had faced significant criticism and numerous protests over the winter after being accused of doing nothing to tackle months of dangerously high pollution levels.

According to the government’s own figures, vehicle emissions account for an average of 23% of pollutants in the air, making it the single highest source of emissions, especially during the toxic winter months when thick smog routinely cloaks the city.

E-rickshaws have become an increasingly familiar sight on Delhi’s roads in the last two years, but a lack of charging points has left drivers reluctant to make the switch. Under the new policy, the government has promised to install more than 30,000 public charging points in the capital.

Vikas Nimesh, assistant professor at IIT Delhi School of Public Policy, also called it a “game changer”.

He highlighted that the availability of affordable Indian electric vehicles is growing rapidly and Delhi is already India’s largest market. Nimesh expressed optimism that the new policy will give impetus to manufacturers to invest in new green technology and “produce more EV models” to provide more consumer choice and competition.

News of the policy had yet to reach most of the city’s millions of autorickshaw drivers. Sitting in the shadow of a rickshaw taxi parked in Delhi’s busy Connaught Place, Rajesh Gopi, 37, said he doubted a real transition could happen in just two years and worried that electric vehicles would not deliver the same returns.

“I have heard that e-rickshaws require a lot of charging and cannot go as far as we can on gas,” he said. “If I have to wait an hour or two every day for charging, it’s a loss of income for me that I can’t afford. I also don’t know how to maintain an electric rickshaw or prevent its batteries from being stolen.”

However, he admitted that the city’s pollution was unbearable for rickshaw drivers who had to inhale deadly fumes. “I’m not against change and cleaning the air, but I hope we won’t be the ones paying the price,” Gopi said.

The policy also introduced significant road and vehicle tax exemptions for people buying new electric cars to encourage drivers to switch to suit their preferences. But some critics have expressed concerns that two years is too short a time to phase out new petrol scooters and rickshaws and ensure adequate consumer choice.

Others have expressed concern that policy should focus more broadly beyond just private vehicles. Bhavreen Kandhari, a prominent environmentalist, said the government should commit to expanding green public transport in the city.

While Delhi has a significant metro system, it is often criticized for its lack of connectivity across the wider city; This leaves people dependent on stopping rickshaws and riding their own scooters between their homes and metro and bus stops.

“More cars on the roads is not the solution,” Kandhari said. “To reduce traffic congestion and dust in the city, the government needs to work on improving public transport and last mile connectivity with green solutions. This EV policy falls short in this regard.”