Battery operated rickshaw - unsafe public transport in India, in Delhi

From the archive record

Battery operated rickshaws are running on the roads without registration number. When e-rickshaws first appeared in Delhi, few imagined that they would become a rage within a few months, and a part and parcel of the already-overcrowded roads. It was, however, their efficiency, low-operation cost, size and easy navigability that endeared them to their operators and the public alike. The operators love them because they cost just a fraction of what auto-rickshaws cost and are much cheaper to run. For the commuters, these provide a "shared" travel option in Delhi that costs much less than auto-rickshaws or cycle rickshaws. These battery-run vehicles with their zero emissions would, under normal circumstances, also have been the darling of environmentalists. Since these began operating in many