Abstract
Battery operated electric three-wheelers or e-rickshaws have recently emerged in the public road transport sector in
India. These vehicles have gained much popularity owing to the comfortable and economic mode of transport they
provide to the fellow commuters. The present work is based on a case study in West Bengal state where the travel
pattern of these vehicles has been studied. The average specific energy consumption of the e-rickshaws has been
found to be 53.76 kJ/passenger-km, which is the most efficient among other forms of motorized three-wheeled
passenger vehicles. This study also delineates the challenges that stand in the way of proper implementation of these
e-rickshaws in the public transport sector.
Introduction
Road transport in India plays a defining role in the country’s economic progress. In case of total
passenger transportation, almost 80% of the load is shared by road transport sector [1]. Economic growth
is marked by an inevitable increase in transportation activities of any region. In India, the road share of
passenger mobility increased from 35% in 1950-1951 to 87% in 2000-2001 [2]. Road transport sector has
been a major consumer of fossil fuel in the form of liquid petroleum and gas and the majority of this
energy demand needs to be imported. The economic growth in India has been marked by the preference
of privatized and para-transit mode of transport by the passengers, the mobility share of which increased
Scenario of Three-wheeled Vehicles in West Bengal
The three-wheeled vehicles for passenger road transportation in West Bengal may be segregated into
two major forms; motorized transport vehicles and non-motorized transport vehicles.
2.1. Motorized Transport Vehicles
a. Auto-rickshaws (LPG based)-
Auto-rickshaws are the most widely used three-wheeled mode of public transportation. In
West Bengal, these vehicles run on auto-LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), and are an integral
part of the society of major urban areas, townships and suburbs. But unlike other parts in
India, auto-rickshaws in West Bengal ferry passengers in a sharing mode. These autorickshaws have specific routes of operation recognized by the union bodies and the Regional
Transport Authority (RTA) of the region. This auto-rickshaw has a capacity of carrying four
passengers at a time. These vehicles are provided with proper registration from the RTAs and
are required to pay road taxes. The drivers of these vehicles require proper license for driving.
These vehicles have a maximum speed of 60 km/h and the fuel tank capacity varies from 15
litres to 20 litres depending on the vehicle model.