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MOTORINDIA
l
April 2012
Study finds auto-rickshaws a
safe alternative to cars
EMBARQ India has launched its
first publication, “Sustainable Urban
Transport in India: Role of the Auto-
Rickshaw Sector,” at Rickshaw Ris-
ing: An Auto-Rickshaw Entrepre-
neurship Summit in Mumbai.
Across India, auto-rickshaws
make more than 229 million pas-
senger trips per day. That number
is expected to more than double to
482 million by 2031. The range runs
from 15,000 to 30,000 vehicles in
medium-sized cities (population be-
tween one and four million) to more
than 50,000 in large cities (popula-
tion greater than four million).
Now, the World Resources Insti-
tute and EMBARQ have released
the most comprehensive report ever
on auto-rickshaws.
The report, “Sustainable Urban
Transport in India: Role of the Auto-
rickshaw Sector,” by Akshay Mani,
Madhav Pai and Rishi Aggarwal,
examines the role auto-rickshaws
play in promoting public transport
usage and reducing private motor
vehicle trips in cities. The report
also provides a policy vision for the
auto-rickshaw sector that improves
sustainable urban transport in India.
The publication highlights the
need for regulatory reforms to pro-
mote dispatch services and vehicle-
related reforms to address emissions
and road safety. Adopting these
reforms is key to ensuring that au-
to-rickshaws contribute to a more
efficient, clean and safe transport
system.
“Given the current urban transport
trends and challenges, such as rising
emissions and road fatalities, there is
a critical need to promote more sus-
tainable transport options in India.
Implementing the recommended
reforms, such as promotion of fleet-
based dispatch services and vehicle
improvements, will be key to ensure
that auto-rickshaws can serve as an
effective alternative to private mo-
tor vehicles. These reforms are es-
sential to mitigate the environmental
road transportation
The report shows that not
only do auto-rickshaws
provide an alternative
to cars, but they also fa-
cilitate the use of public
transportation and are a
growing option for sus-
tainable transport.