Delhi govt notifies cab aggregator policy, fleets to switch to electric

The Delhi government on Wednesday notified the Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme which mandates all cab aggregators and delivery service providers to switch their fleet entirely to electric by 2030 - in a bid to curtail the annual bad air crisis caused by vehicular emissions, among an array of other factors, in the Capital.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok and Hemani Bhandari

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said the policy covers all aggregators providing passenger transport in Delhi as well as those involved in delivery services and e-commerce vehicles, adding that those interested would need to register with the government within 90 days from the date of notification and procure a license. The licence will be valid for five years.

"This is the first time a state government has taken such a major decision keeping air pollution in mind. After 2030, all aggregators, be it those involved in passenger transport like Ola or Uber, delivery service providers and thirdly e-commerce platforms, will be running only on electric," said Gahlot.

Though the scheme made provisions to allow bike taxis again, only electric two-wheelers will be considered valid with immediate effect, the minister added.

HT reached out to cab aggregators Ola and Uber but neither responded to queries seeking comments.

In February, the government called on cab aggregators to halt all bike taxi services after concerns were raised over the safety and convenience of passengers and imposed challans worth ₹5,000 for the first offence and ₹10,000 for the second time they were found operating within Delhi.