Junk the cycle rickshaw, take a ride on E-Rick

It’s a tall order but the Municipal Corporation of Delhi aims at replacing all cycle rickshaws in the city with battery-operated rickshaws. The civic agency wants to introduce these rickshaws, called E-Rick, before the Commonwealth Games.

It’s a tall order but the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) aims at replacing all cycle rickshaws in the city with battery-operated rickshaws. The civic agency wants to introduce these rickshaws, called E-Rick, before the Commonwealth Games.

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The trial run of these “aesthetically designed, eco-friendly rickshaws” rickshaws has already been conducted and the service is expected to start with 10 vehicles in June.

“We plan to have 4,000 such vehicles on the roads by the time of the Commonwealth Games. If successful, the service will slowly replace all the cycle rickshaws in the city,” said a senior MCD official.

But MCD commissioner K.S. Mehra said, “The civic agency will take a final decision on it and only after that these electronic rickshaws will be used.”

The civic agency plans to enter into a contract with a private firm, which will own, operate and maintain these electronic rickshaws. The private company would also hire people and pay them salary to drive the e-rickshaw.

An MCD official said the civic agency would give the company advertisement rights in lieu of the service provided.

He added that the state-of-the-art, zero-emission means of transportation for passengers is equipped with a striking shape, comfortable design and advanced technical features. The speed of the vehicle is 25km/hr and requires a charging time of 6 to 8 hours.

“We are also in talks with shopping malls to allow their parking space to be used for recharging the battery of these rickshaws,” he said.

These rickshaws will also be fitted with GPS locator device.