Delhi plans to ban petrol rickshaws and scooters in a bid to cut toxic smog | India

The uncontrollable chaos of Delhi’s streets would be unremarkable without the rickshaws and scooters passing through India’s capital in their millions, spewing noxious fumes in their wake. But now, ambitious policies aim to give the city’s most visible cars an environmental change.

On Monday, the Delhi government announced plans to finally ban petrol motorcycles, scooters and autorickshaws in favor of electric ones, in a bid to reduce the city’s dangerous pollution levels by the end of the decade.

The policies, which will phase out new petrol and gas motorbikes, trucks and buses in the capital over the next two years, have been hailed by some environmentalists as “game changers” in the fight to reduce emissions.

In recent years, transport has been a major contributor to air pollution in Delhi, which remains at levels dangerous to human health and has become an emergency in the capital, linked to tens of thousands of deaths each year.

Motorcycles and rickshaws – which use a lot of petrol and compressed fossil gas – account for more than two-thirds of the tens of millions of vehicles on Delhi’s roads. Under the new policy, the Indian capital will now issue new license plates only to electric mini-trucks and three-wheelers, known as e-rickshaws, from 2027, and e-scooters and electric motorcycles from 2028.

The Delhi government said it hopes the move will lead to the electrification of at least 30% of the capital’s vehicle fleet by 2030. “This policy focuses on clean EVs, which provide high environmental benefits such as zero emission vehicles,” the Delhi government said in a statement on Monday.

Amit Bhatt, managing director of the International Council on Clean Transportation, said: “The proposed ban on two- and three-wheelers could be a game-changer for Delhi in fighting air pollution.”

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

Delhi’s state government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which also governs at the national level, faced heavy criticism and many protests over the winter after it was accused of doing nothing to address months of dangerously high pollution levels.

According to the government’s own statistics, motor vehicle emissions account for 23% of air pollution, making it the single highest source of smog, especially during the toxic winter months when thick smog often blankets the city.

E-rickshaws have become a common sight on Delhi’s roads in the past two years, but the lack of charging stations has made drivers reluctant to switch. Under the new policy, the government has promised to establish more than 30,000 public charging stations across the capital.

Vikas Nimesh, an assistant professor at the School of Public Policy at IIT Delhi, also coined the term “gamechanger”.

He emphasized that the availability of affordable Indian electric vehicles is growing rapidly as Delhi is the largest market in India. Nimesh expressed his hope that the new policy will give incentives to manufacturers to invest in new green technologies and “come up with more EV models” to provide greater consumer choice and competition.

The news of this policy has not reached most of the millions of auto-rickshaw drivers. Sitting in the shade of his rickshaw, parked in Delhi’s bustling Connaught Place, Rajesh Gopi, 37, said he doubted any real change could happen in just two years and worried that electric cars would not offer the same pay.

“I have heard that e-rickshaw rickshaws need to be charged a lot and cannot travel long distances on gas,” he said. “If I have to wait one or two hours every day to charge, that means I have lost money that I cannot afford.

However, he admitted that the pollution of the city was unbearable for the rickshaw drivers who were forced to inhale the deadly fumes. “I’m not against change and making the air cleaner, but I hope you won’t be the one to pay,” said Gopi.

The policy also introduces significant road and vehicle tax exemptions for people who buy new electric cars, in an effort to encourage drivers to make the switch. However, some critics have expressed concern that two years is too short a window to complete the new petrol scooters and rickshaws and ensure there is enough choice for consumers.

Others have expressed concern that this policy should focus more on private vehicles. Bhavreen Kandhari, a renowned environmentalist, said the government should commit to increasing green public transport in the city.

While Delhi has a large metro system, it is often criticized for the lack of connectivity throughout the metropolis, which keeps people dependent on hailing rickshaws and driving their own scooters between their homes and bus stops.

“More cars on the road is not the solution,” said Kandhari. “In order to reduce traffic and dust in the city, the government should work to improve public transport and last mile communication with green solutions. This EV policy falls short in that aspect.”