Beyond rickshaws: Dhaka’s transport crisis needs better answers

Dhaka is once again at a crossroads. Amid rising traffic congestion and deadly road accidents, battery-powered auto-rickshaws have become public enemy number one — seized, destroyed and banned from major roads. Authorities claim this is necessary to restore order. But the truth is, this is a surface-level response to a deep, structural crisis in how the city moves.

To begin with, auto-rickshaws are not just poorly operated; they are poorly designed. Most of the battery-powered variants seen on Dhaka's roads are assembled without any engineering oversight. They lack fundamental safety features: effective brakes, turn indicators, rear-view mirrors, and structural integrity. The frame is often not built to withstand the speeds the motor provides — sometimes as high as 25-30km/h. The result is a dangerously unstable vehicle that is wholly unfit for city roads.

Worse still, these vehicles can be operated by anyone — literally anyone. No licence. No training. No basic understanding of traffic rules. There is no system to assess whether a driver understands right of way, speed limits, lane discipline, or how to respond in emergencies. The consequences are playing out in daily headlines: collisions with buses, crashes involving motorcycles, and fatal accidents with pedestrians. 

The anarchy on our roads is not just human error — it is a design failure.

It is encouraging that researchers at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) have proposed a prototype for a safer rickshaw. This new model features hydraulic brakes, proper lighting, mirrors, a windshield, and a sturdier frame — features that should have been mandatory from the beginning. 

DNCC Administrator Mohammad Azaz noted, "The government has approved several companies to manufacture BUET-certified battery rickshaws. Training is also being arranged for drivers to help them shift to legal, safer alternatives."

But this step is not in the right direction. In fact, it risks adding to the problem. The BUET-certified model is not replacing existing auto-rickshaws; it is increasing the total number of three-wheelers on the road. That's counterproductive.

Let's be blunt. A city of over 23 million people cannot rely on vehicles that carry one or two passengers at a time. Auto-rickshaws, no matter how well-designed, are inherently inefficient for urban mobility. They may be useful for last-mile transport or rural areas, but in a megacity like Dhaka, they are clogging roads, slowing traffic, and increasing energy consumption, without solving the commuting needs of the majority.

In reality, the energy footprint of these rickshaws is a hidden crisis. Another overlooked issue is their energy inefficiency and environmental harm. Charging these rickshaws consumes an estimated 110 megawatts of electricity daily, much of it drawn from unmetered, illegal connections. This worsens load shedding and creates grid instability. The unregulated charging stations pose fire hazards, cause voltage drops, and contribute to blackouts, exacerbating an already dire energy situation.

Most of these vehicles use lead-acid batteries, which are cheap but short-lived and difficult to recycle. Bangladesh lacks the infrastructure to safely dispose of them. Improper disposal leads to toxic lead and chemical leaks into the soil and water, creating a growing environmental hazard alongside an unsustainable energy burden.

Not a ban alone. Not a prototype alone. Dhaka needs a comprehensive transport overhaul.

First, we must massively scale up and modernise our public bus system. Fast, affordable, safe, and energy-efficient buses must become the backbone of Dhaka's mobility network. This means more than just putting more buses on the road —it means rethinking the entire ecosystem. Buses must run on clean fuel, follow dedicated lanes to avoid traffic delays, and operate on reliable schedules that commuters can depend on.

Interiors should be clean, ventilated, and comfortable, with proper seating, lighting, and security measures, especially for women, children, and the elderly. Contactless fare systems and digital tracking can reduce corruption, improve punctuality, and rebuild public trust. 

Most importantly, the system must be backed by strict regulatory oversight to enforce service standards, safety protocols, and driver accountability. Without robust monitoring, we risk replacing one broken system with another. If implemented correctly, public buses can become the most logical and preferred choice for Dhaka's daily commuters.

Second, the transition away from unsafe rickshaws must be structured and humane. Drivers who rely on these vehicles for a living must not be abandoned. They should be offered access to formal employment in public transport, delivery services, municipal maintenance, or retrained to drive registered, certified vehicles. Skills training, soft loans, and placement programmes must be part of this transition, not token compensation handed to a lucky few.

Third, we must invest significantly more in transport research and development. The BUET prototype shows what's possible when engineers are allowed to prioritise safety and innovation. But one model is not enough. We need sustained innovation across universities, private firms, and public institutions to explore scalable alternatives for urban mobility. Whether it's small electric buses, shared cargo bikes, or modular e-vehicles, Dhaka needs more ideas on the table, not fewer.

Fourth, energy regulation must go hand in hand with transport policy. Charging infrastructure for electric vehicles must be licensed, metered, and — where possible — powered by clean energy. Without proper regulation, the shift to "electric" transport becomes a strain on national resources, not a step forward.

The current crackdown on rickshaws is a performance — one that plays well in headlines but does little to address why these vehicles took over our streets in the first place. They filled a vacuum. They offered mobility when nothing else did. But that does not mean they belong on highways or major arteries. And it certainly does not mean the people who drove them should be crushed alongside their vehicles.

The time has come for a deeper reset. Dhaka cannot afford to keep improvising transport policy one crisis at a time. We must move beyond piecemeal bans and take a systemic approach, investing in safe design, public infrastructure, driver rehabilitation, and energy reform.

Auto-rickshaws did not create this mess. We did — by allowing them to become a substitute for a functioning public system.

Let's build that system now.

Kaynat Rahman is a Research Associate at Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management (BIGM) and can be reached at  [email protected]. Ruhina Tabasshum Prome is a Research Associate at Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management (BIGM) and can be reached at [email protected]

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.