An abundance of battery-powered motorised rickshaws is now visible across Dhaka city, despite being prohibited on major roads. Earlier, these rickshaws were mainly confined to alleyways.
However, since 5 August - the day marking the fall of the Awami League-led government - drivers have been navigating busy streets with impunity, taking advantage of weak traffic law enforcement.
Drivers of vehicles such as motorcycles, public buses, private cars, and especially pedal rickshaws have raised concerns over road safety, labelling motorised rickshaw drivers as "unskilled" and "unruly."
The growing demand for cheaper and faster transportation has led to an uncontrolled rise in the number of motorized rickshaws in Dhaka.
Young men from vulnerable regions of Bangladesh are migrating to the capital, with many taking up rickshaw driving despite being unskilled. According to experts, many of these rickshaws are technically "unfit."
Photo: BFirst/Noor-A-Alam
Sixteen-year-old Shohanur Rahman, who migrated from the Netrokona district, began driving a motorised rickshaw last month after completing his higher secondary studies.
“I had no experience driving a rickshaw, but I started after just an hour of training from my rickshaw-driver uncle,” Shohanur says.
He admits that his knowledge of traffic rules is limited and expresses a lack of confidence in controlling the vehicle, particularly the braking system.
Professor Ziaur Rahman, a teacher of electrical and electronic engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), explains that traditional pedal-powered rickshaws have a maximum speed of 20 km/h.
When modified with a battery-powered motor, their speed can increase to 40–60 km/h.
"If a motorised rickshaw is driven at high speeds, the driver may struggle to control the manual disc brake system," Ziaur says.
Ziaur led a BUET team for designing models of safer motorised rickshaws.
The team was funded with Tk3 crore by the government. However, the government has not yet allowed the BUET-approved rickshaw models.
Photo: BFirst/Noor-A-Alam
Amzadul Rahman, a chauffeur of a private car, complains that motorised rickshaws have become a significant threat on Dhaka's already chaotic streets.
“In general, they make abrupt turns without any signals. It seems like they don’t care about speed control,” Amzadul remarks.
In response to safety concerns, the High Court banned motorized rickshaws from highways and city corporation roads in Dhaka and Chattogram in 2014.
Even on 15 May of this year, former Minister of Road Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader prohibited their use on Dhaka’s streets.
At the time, former Dhaka mayors Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and Atiqul Islam also supported the ban.
These statements angered motorised rickshaw drivers, who blocked several roads in protest.
On 20 May, then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced that motorised rickshaws would be allowed to operate only on designated lanes in Dhaka.
However, following the fall of the Hasina-led government, many rickshaw drivers have been deliberately ignoring the designated lane policy.
Photo: BFirst/Noor-A-Alam
On 26 August, hundreds of pedal rickshaw pullers rallied on key Dhaka streets, demanding a complete ban on motorized rickshaws.
Ariful Islam Nadim, joint secretary of the Bangladesh Rickshaw-Van-Easybike Workers’ Union, tells Bangladesh First that banning motorised rickshaws would be illogical.
“Around 500,000 people drive motorised rickshaws in Dhaka district. How can you stop their livelihood? These vehicles are now crucial for city residents,” Nadim says.
For the past few years, his organization, along with other trade unions, has been calling for the approval and regulation of BUET-certified motorised rickshaws, along with providing proper training and licenses to the drivers.
“If a motorised rickshaw driver has a license, they will feel the need to follow traffic rules,” Nadim adds. However, the trade union leader laments that the authorities have never consulted with rickshaw drivers and owners on the matter.
