Bangladesh battery rickshaw debate grows as businesses seek regulation and workers demand protections

Business leaders are urging authorities to regulate Dhaka’s rapidly growing number of battery-run rickshaws as drivers of the three-wheeled vehicles press the government for protections, training, and improved working conditions.

At a discussion organized by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Dhaka South City Corporation, business leaders called for stronger regulation of battery-run rickshaws and auto-rickshaws, removal of hawker encroachment from roads and footpaths, repairs to damaged roads, and measures to reduce waterlogging.

Dhaka South City Corporation administrator Md Abdus Salam said authorities were moving to register rickshaw drivers and hawkers, determine how many could operate, issue licenses and identification numbers, and maintain their biodata in a database.

“You cannot simply come to Dhaka today and start driving a rickshaw tomorrow, or start hawking with a stall,” Salam said.

The debate comes as battery-operated auto-rickshaw drivers held a rally at Purana Paltan under the banner of Biplobi Rickshaw Shromik Shonghoti, or Revolutionary Rickshaw Workers’ Solidarity.

The workers threatened a tougher movement, including work abstentions, if the government does not meet five demands. They called for an end to police harassment, formal driver training, Family Cards for rickshaw workers’ families, separate rickshaw lanes, and adequate medical treatment for injured drivers.

Drivers also complained about being addressed disrespectfully by members of the public, including elderly drivers being addressed with the informal Bengali term “tui,” and said civil society had remained silent about such treatment.

Critics of battery-run rickshaws say the vehicles, which operate in narrow alleys as well as on major roads, contribute to traffic congestion and road accidents.

The electricity minister has also raised concerns about their effect on electricity demand, saying unauthorized battery rickshaws are commonly charged at night, primarily through illegal power connections.

Assistant police commissioner Masud Karim of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police said police were conducting drives and seizing battery-run rickshaws while the police, city corporation, and relevant ministries worked on a clear policy for a permanent solution.

Karim said police were also modernizing policing through technology, including artificial intelligence-enabled cameras.

“We have installed AI cameras at various locations and are getting good results. We want to expand their use further,” he said.

Salam said businesspeople should be able to operate without harassment and said he had rejected proposals to increase city corporation taxes, trade license fees, and signboard fees after taking charge.

He also supported extending the trade license renewal period to five years and said trade licenses should be issued on the same day.

On hawkers, Salam said authorities were developing a registration system similar to the one planned for rickshaw drivers. He said some shopkeepers themselves occupy footpaths with additional shops and collect rent from them, describing the practice as extortion.

“We definitely want to stop extortion, regardless of which political party is involved. No political party should be allowed to engage in extortion,” he said.

Salam said around 32 locations in Dhaka experience water accumulation after heavy rain. The city corporation is using pumps and pursuing drainage projects aimed at eventually discharging rainwater into the Buriganga River.

He also called for the preservation of canals and open spaces and less concrete coverage so that more rainwater can seep into the ground.