Role of eletric rickshaws in rural transport system of barpeta District, Assam

Electric rickshaws are three wheel battery operated vehicles. They are considered as an upgrade to the conventional cycle rickshaws and economically better than auto-rickshaws and other fuel variants. A continuous attempt was made by Anil K. Rajvanshi for the improvement of the cycle rickshaw at Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Maharashtra and had designed his first model of a Motor Assisted Pedal Rickshaw (MAPRA) and tested on Phaltan road in Maharashtra in 1996. After the introduction of MAPRA, he had further worked for the improvement of it. Finally, with the help of funding from the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES), Govt. of India, he had designed and developed the first electric rickshaw, ELECSHA, in India in the year 2000. The present study has been an attempt to study the role of E-rickshaws as a means of transportation in the rural areas of Barpeta district of Assam. An attempt has also been made to examine some of the demographic features of the drivers and the scope of E-rickshaws in employment and income generation. Both primary and secondary data have been used for the study. Primary data have been collected through field survey, which has been carried out during the period of June to July, 2019 by using a structured interview schedule. A total of 140 E-rickshaw drivers were interviewed from the different rural areas of Barpeta district. The collected data have been analyzed by using simple statistical tools. The study has found that electric rickshaws have become a popular means of transportation and also a new source of livelihood in the study area. The E-rickshaw drivers work for almost 12 hours every day to earn some amount of income, which is quite low but help them to fulfill their basic needs to a certain extent. Many E-rickshaw drivers have also faced some problems during their work hours mainly the problem of parking and the competition from the alternative means of transportation available in the study area.