End to the ‘Tesla of Bangladesh’: government declares war on it due to its high accident rate

Two months after a Bangladeshi minister described the Asian country’s electric rickshaws as the “Tesla of Bangladesh”, The Government’s attempt to ban them alleging a high accident rate has cast doubt on the future of the drivers of this popular vehicle three-wheelers, who have raised their voices in protest.

The poor condition of many of these vehicles, with an inefficient braking system and a design that complicates turns, increasing in both cases the risk of accidents, were some of the main arguments put forward by the authorities to ban them in Dhaka since last week. .

“They are not safe means of transportation: they are prone to accidents, the braking system is the worst, they cannot turn. For this reason, transportation experts recommend restricting their movement,” the president of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Nur Mohammad Mazumder, told EFE.

However, fierce criticism from the sector of its ban caused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to order the measure to be lifted and the matter, according to Mazumder, has now returned to the hands of the Government to draw up new recommendations.

Rickshaws, whether pedal, electric or motorized, are one of the most common means of transportation in South Asian countries, although their limited speed and small size lead drivers to take advantage of any loopholes left by others. cars to cut time, does not help traffic flow.

Unlike pedal rickshaws, what makes these electric vehicles more dangerous in Bangladesh is their higher speed and that in many cases they are built without following safety standards, sometimes by their own owners, which increases the risk in case of accident.

“People make rickshaws as they want. “Some are like toys, no standard is maintained,” The professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Engineering and Technology of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman Khan, told EFE, indicating that the possibility of remodeling them instead of banning them to take advantage of their environmental benefits should be considered.

According to BRTA data, electric rickshaws were responsible for the 5.3% of fatal road accidents in the last year. At least 5,024 people died and 7,495 were injured during 2023 in traffic accidents in Bangladesh, according to this regulatory authority.

Infinite uncertainty

Mohammad Rasel is one of the thousands of electric rickshaw drivers who live with uncertainty about the development of the new regulations by the Government, since his fragile economy essentially depends on the vehicle he acquired thanks to a loan.

“I can’t drive a manual (pedal) rickshaw because I have back pain. So I bought this electric rickshaw by taking a loan from an NGO. I have paid the loan and now I live day to day with my family“, he told EFE while waiting on the street to pick up several passengers.

In addition, he criticizes that they continue to be victims of various limitations to work, and denounces that the authorities do not allow him to circulate at any time or throughout Dhaka.

“I can only do it early in the morning and at night. And we can’t go to all the streets.”he lamented, before explaining that if they go out to the main streets, they are followed by the Police and are fined about US$10 which, if they cannot pay, entails temporary retention of the vehicle.

“Some of my fellow drivers couldn’t pay the fine. They had to wait about two weeks to get their rickshaws back. During those days, they couldn’t earn a single cent”, he stated.

This has led to protests by electric rickshaw drivers’ associations not stopping, the last of which was called for June 4 to demand an end to the harassment against them and the legalization of their activity.

“Our demands are simple. All our drivers must be granted licenses immediately, the route for their operation must be fixed and the harassment against them must be stopped. “If they are going to be banned, we have to look for alternative employment,” Rokhsana Afroze, organizer of the demonstration, told EFE.

An industry on the rise

Bangladesh does not have official figures on the number of electric rickshaws on its roads, although the secretary of the Bangladesh Task Force on External Debt, Hasan Mehedi, estimated their number at 1.4 million vehicles, based on their daily electricity consumption. .

He also indicated that 4.5 million workers are part of this industry, whether participating in driving, repair or sales, which generates US$ 7.64 billion annually at an annual growth rate of fifteen%.

A boost for Bangladesh’s fragile economy but also the severe air pollution problem in the country, and especially in its capital, which year after year appears as one of the cities with the worst air quality on the planet.

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