Battery-Run Auto-Rickshaws Scarce Across Dhaka Amid 12-Point Demand Rally
experienced major travel disruptions today as battery-run auto-rickshaws largely vanished from the streets during a driver-led protest rally.
The demonstration is being organized by the Rickshaw-Van-Easybike Workers’ Union in front of the Jatiya Press Club to press home a 12-point charter of demands. Since early morning, operations of battery-operated three-wheelers dropped sharply in areas like Mohammadpur and Shyamoli, forcing many residents to walk to their destinations.
Reports emerged of protesting drivers gathering on roads to block other vehicles from operating, with some instances of drivers forcing passengers out of running rickshaws and disabling the vehicles by cutting their electrical wires.
Hridoy Ahmed, a local office-goer, shared that he spent nearly 20 minutes trying to find transport around 9:30 AM before securing a ride at an inflated fare. Meanwhile, an anonymous auto-rickshaw driver claimed that owners face heavy financial burdens, paying between Tk 1,100 and Tk 1,200 to recover seized vehicles from police custody, demanding an end to what they described as “oppression in the name of wrecker dumping.”
Protesters circulated leaflets declaring that “auto-rickshaws will run wherever there are roads.” Their key demands include the issuance of official vehicle licences and operator driving permits by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), alongside reasonable route allocations and an end to vehicle seizures.
