After Delhi, smart e-rickshaws to hit Gurgaon roads

Adding to the list of sustainable transport options available in the city, the road transport authority is planning to launch e-rickshaws from five metro stations in Gurgaon.

Though the officials did not confirm an exact date of the launch, they said the service would start latest by January 2016 from Huda City Centre, Iffco Chowk, MG Road, Sikandarpur and Guru Dronacharya Metro stations.

The smart e-rickshaws were first launched at the Madipur Metro station in Paschim Vihar, New Delhi in October with a batch of 30 all-women drivers.

The number of e-rickshaws on a particular route will be decided beforehand so that the vehicles do not clutter one place. The drivers will be given a defined route of around 5 kilometres.

The smart e-rickshaws will pick and drop commuters over short distances. These three-wheelers can accommodate a maximum of four passengers.

“A study was conducted before the plan was put on paper. We have looked into each aspect, including city traffic movement and safety of passengers. The launch should happen sometime in January,” an official from smart e-rickshaw, said.
Keeping in mind the security concerns, the smart e-rickshaws will be installed with CCTV cameras and GPS. Besides, the drivers will have a police verification done, officials of smart e-rickshaw added.

With a fee of only Rs 10, the e-rickshaws will also have defined parking stations. The stations will have facilities to charge the battery of these vehicles.

The drivers charge the battery of their vehicles at the parking spots. Overnight charging will be sufficient for an e-rickshaw to run for around 100 kilometres.

The stake holders also plan to launch an app, which will give the residents the location of the e-rickshaws near them. They will also set up booths where people can buy tickets.