The Delhi government on Tuesday announced a draft ‘Motor Vehicle Aggregator Scheme 2023’ aimed at regulating cab aggregators and delivery service providers in the city.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the scheme aims to achieve the twin objectives of prioritising the safety of passengers while promoting the use of electric vehicles to reduce pollution.
The proposed timeline in the draft scheme to replace vehicles running on conventional fuel with EVs
| Target for adoption of EVs in new fleet |
| Timeline | Two wheeler (goods carrier) | Three wheeler (passenger and goods carrier) | Four wheeler (passenger and goods carrier) |
| 6 months | 10% | 10% | 5% |
| 1 year | 25% | 25% | 15% |
| 2 years | 50% | 50% | 25% |
| 3 years | 75% | 75% | 50% |
| 4 years | 100% | 100% | 75% |
| 5 years | - | - | 100% |
A draft of the scheme was approved by the CM on Wednesday and sent to the Lieutenant-Governor for approval.
Integrated panic button
The scheme will make it mandatory for aggregators to install a panic button in all vehicles and integrate it with the ‘112’ Delhi Police emergency helpline.
It will also force aggregators and delivery service providers to gradually switch from conventional to electric vehicles so that by April 1, 2030, they stop using vehicles running on conventional fuel sources.
The scheme will include a mechanism to ensure the timely redressal of consumer grievances by service providers and allow for remedial training of drivers whose performance is rated poor.
Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said the scheme will lay the foundation to regulate bike taxis (two-wheeler ride-hailing services) and rent-a-bike services.
Electric-only
It will ensure that all bike taxis and two-wheeler renting services in the city solely use electric vehicles in line with the 2020 Delhi EV policy, Mr. Gahlot said. The Chief Minister said it was for the first time that a State government was planning to enforce the transition of commercial vehicles towards electric transportation.
Switching to electric vehicles will reduce pollution and create new employment and economic growth opportunities, the CM also said.
Passenger safety
“The goal is to ensure passenger safety and reduce pollution with sustainable public transportation. We have introduced a ‘polluter-pays’ principle, where onboarding any electric vehicle will have zero licence fee [while CNG and petrol or diesel vehicles will have a higher fee],” Mr. Gahlot said.
“The Delhi government is committed to creating a sustainable and environment-friendly transport system for its citizens,” he added.
The Motor Vehicle Aggregator Scheme 2023 will apply to any person or entity that manages a fleet of motor vehicles through digital or any other means to ferry passengers or connects a driver offering to deliver a product with a seller, e-commerce entity or consignor.
