Poor response to city permit from e-auto operators

Ernakulam RTA issues city permits for electric and CNG autos to reduce pollution and improve passenger experience.

Over a month since the Ernakulam Regional Transport Authority (RTA) decided to issue new city permits to 2,000 electric autorickshaws and 1,000 CNG/LPG/LNG-powered ones, not many e-autorickshaws have sought the permit which would enable them to operate anywhere in the city without hassles, it is learnt.

The RTA decision followed widespread demand to catalyse the shift to electric and CNG autos to lessen air and noise pollution and to provide a comfortable ride for passengers. This in turn was expected to lessen reliance on autos that run on fossil fuel, especially highly polluting diesel autos, most of which arrive in the city in large numbers from suburban towns and even neighbouring districts.

This apart, electric and CNG autos ought to be less than seven years old, while their final list and bonnet number were to be published on March 10. There is relatively more demand from CNG autos for city permit since they are more in number, according to sources.

They attributed the poor response from e-auto operators to the fact that e-autos can operate anywhere in Kerala and do not specifically need permit, unlike their fossil-fuel counterparts. “On their part, many e-auto operators from suburban towns would have chosen not to forego their daily trips, since they would otherwise have to drive to the city to complete the city-permit formalities,” sources in the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) said.

Stating that the RTA decision and the proposal to increase the number of city permit autos from 3,500 to 6,500 was a step in the right direction, they said complaints were rampant against innumerable drivers of autos that converged in the city from outside. They included rude behaviour, rash driving, and fleecing of passengers. Issuance of more city permits was expected to usher in more accountability among auto drivers since all autos, including e-autos, were expected to have a colour that would help identify them, they added.