Registration of battery-run e-rickshaws begins in 13 city corporations

From now on, battery-run auto-rickshaws will be able to operate in the capital and other city corporation areas with registration. The government will regulate these vehicles through a legal process. Registration of battery-run three-wheeler e-rickshaws began on Monday (November 2) in the country’s 13 city corporations.

The government first plans to bring the vehicles under a legal regulatory framework. Driving licences will then be issued to drivers in phases.

State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shah Alam announced the decisions on Sunday (November 1) at a briefing with journalists at the Secretariat on the rules for the movement of slow-moving battery-run three-wheelers (e-rickshaws) in city corporation areas.

The state minister said the legal basis for e-rickshaw registration was created in 2026 by amending the Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009 in the Jatiya Sangsad, with the relevant provision added in section 120 of the law. After the rules were framed and vetted by the Law Ministry, they were published in the government gazette. As a result, he said, there is now no legal obstacle to starting the registration programme.

Under the new policy, the registration fee for a two-passenger e-rickshaw has been set at Tk 8,000. After a fitness test, the renewal fee after one year will be Tk 4,000. The registration fee for a four-passenger e-rickshaw is Tk 10,000, and its renewal fee after one year has been set at Tk 500.

Under the rules, an e-rickshaw will be allowed to operate for a maximum of 12 years. In addition, an extra fee of Tk 1,000 will have to be paid to display the QR code-bearing fitness certificate issued by the concerned city corporation.

The government has formed a seven-member committee to oversee e-rickshaw production and recommend approvals for manufacturers. The committee includes representatives of the Local Government Division, the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), city corporations, the police traffic division and district administrations.

However, simply driving a battery-run auto-rickshaw will not be enough; a wide range of laws must be obeyed, and violations will bring punishment and fines. Operating in prohibited areas, reckless driving, carrying goods instead of passengers, ignoring traffic signals and fleeing after an accident will all be treated as offences.

Meanwhile, the local government state minister announced a plan for eight zones for e-rickshaw movement in Dhaka, four in each of the two city corporations. The e-rickshaws of each zone will have a distinct colour, so an e-rickshaw of one zone will not be able to operate in another. The ministry said licences will be issued to drivers after registration.