Lobbying on to introduce 8,000 CNG-run autos in three cities

Strong lobbying is on to introduce an additional 8,000 CNG-driven autorickshaws in three of the country's main cities - Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet.

Of the total number, the demand for 5,000 CNG- or petrol-run autorickshaws with four-stroke engines was placed for Dhaka, where roads usually remain clogged with heavy traffic, which has reduced vehicular speed to below 7.0 kilometres per hour.

Obhai Solutions Limited, a ride-sharing company, has applied to introduce 2,000 CNG-run autorickshaws in Chattogram and 1,000 in Sylhet.

Autorickshaw workers in Dhaka and Chattogram claimed the ceiling on the number of autorickshaws in the capital is 40,000.

At present, 15,696 autorickshaws are operating in Dhaka. They were allowed on the road after taking 2,696 mishuks (locally-made fuel-run autorickshaws) out of service in line with the four-stroke three-wheeler autorickshaw service policy formulated in 2007.

Under the policy, 13,000 CNG-driven autorickshaws ply in Chattogram.

The ceiling was fixed in a gazette notification on August 27, 2012.

The modal share of transports in Dhaka is already overburdened with multi-speed, small passenger-carrying vehicles.

A study conducted under the Revised Strategic Transport Plan in 2015 on modal share found that only 9.0 per cent of the trips were generated by autorickshaws against 30 per cent by rickshaws and 28 per cent by buses. The calculation was based on 30 million trips in the city.

Besides, the study predicted the modal share of CNG-run autorickshaws would remain at 9.0 per cent in 2025 if nothing was done in this connection.

It also predicted that under the master plan 2025 following the introduction of metro rail, the modal share of autorickshaws would drop to 8 per cent.

The Dhaka and Chattogram District CNG Autorickshaw Workers Union Council placed a memorandum to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) chairman after blocking the road in front of the BRTA office on January 26 this year.

They demanded increasing the ceiling on the number of autorickshaws, arguing that it should be 40,000 as Dhaka's population increased to 20 million in 2025 from 8.0 million in 2002 and city areas expanded from 129sqkm to 270sqkm.

Official sources said the issue has been pending since a CNG-run autorickshaw importer applied in 2023 for the registrations of 180 vehicles imported by it.

They said as per the jurisdiction under the Road Transport Act 2018 and Rule 2022, they are trying to address the issue and find the legitimacy of increasing the ceiling on the number of autorickshaws, which ply as clean energy vehicles.

BRTA officials said they are trying to get opinions from all concerned, including transport experts, to find the legitimacy of increasing the ceiling.

They will also review the modal share of city transports. Besides, they recommended forming a passenger and goods transport committee under Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority to work on the issue.

smunima@yahoo.com