Soon, Delhi might witness a large number of battery-run motorcycles providing last-mile connectivity to people who rely on public transport to commute across the city. These bikes may also emerge as an alternative to booking cabs.
On Monday, the Delhi cabinet approved a policy to allow electric two-wheeler taxis by app-based ride-hailing services such as Uber and Ola. The policy will soon be notified. The move is aimed to provide a big boost to clean last-mile connectivity.
Delhi government will provide a purchase incentive of Rs 5,000 per kWh of battery capacity. For an average electric two-wheeler, the applicable incentive would be approximately Rs 10,000 as compared with Rs 5,500 presently being offered by Delhi Pollution Control Committee as subsidy for battery operated electric vehicles, a statement by Delhi government statement said.
Bike-taxis operate in many areas of the National Capital Region such as Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad under different app-based platforms. Many ride-hailing service providers have been trying to introduce similar services in Delhi but the regulations did not allow bike-taxis.
During the odd-even scheme implemented from November 4 to 15 this year, Uber had offered the use of 5,000 bike-taxis to improve first and last mile connectivity.
The bike-taxis would have helped ferry one lakh commuters to and from metro stations every week. The Delhi government, however, didn’t take up the offer at the time.
“At Uber, we believe the future of mobility is shared, electric and multi-modal. We are working towards building an ecosystem to bring more electric vehicles to the market. We wholeheartedly support the Delhi government’s vision to make the city the electric vehicle capital of India,” an Uber spokesperson said.
Ola, meanwhile, despite being contacted repeatedly, did not comment on the issue.
