http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/logistics/an-esolution-to-delhis-commuting-woes/article8098849.ece An e-solution to Delhi’s commuting woes January 12, 2016 Chitra Narayanan
[image http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/multimedia/dynamic/02693/BL13_01_ERICK_2693849f.jpg Smart e-rickshaws equipped with digital gadgets including GPRS and CCTV in New Delhi KAMAL NARANG ] Smart-E offers an eco-friendly feeder service to Metro stations New Delhi, January 12: As the Delhi government grapples with ways and means to curb pollution in the Capital, entrepreneurs are entering the fray, launching eco-friendly commuting options. Smart-E or Smart Electric Transport System, an e-rickshaw solution that hopes to solve the last-mile connectivity issues of Delhi Metro users, is one. Piloted in West Delhi’s Paschim Vihar neighbourhood, the Smart-E vehicles, which can seat four people, run on a ride-share model and provide feeder services to passengers travelling to and from Metro stations. When Delhi Metro did a survey to find out how people arrived at stations, it found that barely 1.5 per cent of its 3 million daily users came on vehicles and parked them at stations. “While the metro covers a vast distance, first- and last-mile connectivity to the stations remains a problem,” says Manjul Kumar, General Manager, Operations, Smart-E. That prompted a bunch of MNC executives to band together and launch Smart-E. While Delhi has had e-rickshaws, these have mostly operated in an unorganised way. In fact, many went off the road after a High Court order though some are back after the Motor Vehicles Act was amended to let them ply with requisite licences. Smart-E claims to be different as it is the first organised model for e-rickshaws, begun after consultations with Delhi Metro officials and the Delhi Traffic Police. These electric vehicles, custom-manufactured in Sonepat, are equipped with GPS and even CCTVs, addressing the issue of women’s safety. Women drivers In fact, at Paschim Vihar most of the e-rickshaws have women drivers, drawn from neighbouring villages. Shahnaz, a mother of six living in Mongolpuri, now earns anywhere between ₹300-₹500 plying the e-rick, which she bought with a loan from Bharatiya Mahila Bank, facilitated by the company. She says that even after giving the operators the commission, she takes home more than she earned in her earlier factory job. But as the service scales up, the promoters say it’s not sustainable to run with women drivers alone. Although the women are enthusiastic and eager to be trained, there are challenges such as long hours on the road. Smart-E will expand to Gurgaon next with 50 e-rickshaws. In Delhi, Malviya Nagar has been identified as the next locality where it will ply. By September, the company hopes to have a thousand e-vehicles on the road. The Smart-E model is a hybrid between Meru and Uber. The company does not own the asset. Instead loans are arranged for the e-rickshaw drivers to buy the vehicle and an operating commission charged that takes care of infrastructure issues such as dedicated parking and charging stations for the vehicles, as well as help with licensing of vehicles. “Soon, there will be a fully functional app that will connect a driver with a customer,” says Kumar. This will allow a passenger to book a Smart-E to her home just before she gets off at the station. The fare is [INR]₹10 for a shared ride. If the model succeeds, the promoters hope to scale up by taking it to the six States where metro rail projects are coming up. [© thehindubusinessline.com] http://www.hindustantimes.com/bhopal/jabalpur-streets-to-get-green-e-rickshaws-soon/story-UZ8vVIilCV3ZvFtrAfBNeP.html Jabalpur streets to get ‘green’ e-rickshaws soon Jan 06, 2016 Neelesh Chaudhari [image https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSaILwwmOGr86kMuoS_UdAO3IA_8BaR6ovVvSOQ9lZlpmlgzsS_4uI8n75ywGi-ptynG_mcVFRr ] The residents of Jabalpur will soon have a green commuting option, with the civic authorities set to introduce electric rickshaws to reduce vehicular pollution and address the shortage of public transport in the city. The Jabalpur City Transport Services Limited (JCTSL) — a special purpose vehicle formed jointly by the municipal corporation and the development authority to deal with public transport issues — is also facilitating loans to the poor and the unemployed to purchase e-rickshaws under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission. JCTSL officials say e-rickshaws can be a better alternative to the vehicles burning fossil fuels. “This will not only cut down pollution but also help many unemployed people earn a livelihood,” an official said. JCTSL chief executive officer Sachin Vishwakarma told HT, “The applicants falling in the below poverty line category will get easy finance for the e-rickshaw under the government scheme. For the above poverty line applicants, we are in process of pursuing the bank for finance.” More than 100 people have already sought financial aid (`1.25 lakh each) from the JCTSL in the past five days. The last date of sending an application in this regard is January 15. “I heard from a relative about the e-rickshaw. It needs less maintenance than the traditional auto rickshaw, so I have applied for it,” says Jitendra Jat, a labourer. Similarly, Khemchand Rai, a small-time vendor on the bus stand, has applied for financial assistance to purchase the environment-friendly rickshaw. “I want to give up the current work as I don’t have a permanent place to sell articles,” Rai says. Currently, the JCTSL runs 119 buses, including 44-seater 50 buses and 28-seater 69 mini buses, in the city under the public private partnership mode through three private bus operators. E-rickshaw runs on battery and once charged it covers a distance of 70-80 kilometres depending on road conditions. It can carry five persons at a time and has a top speed of 25 kmph. Its battery can be charged from the solar panel mounted on its roof, or through electricity. DETAILS - The Jabalpur City Transport Services Limited (JCTSL) is a special purpose vehicle formed jointly by the municipal corporation and the development authority to deal with public transport issues - The JCTSL is facilitating loans to the poor and the unemployed to purchase e-rickshaws under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission - The last date of sending an application in this regard is January 15 - More than 100 people have already sought financial aid (Rs 1.25 lakh each) from the JCTSL in the past five days - E-rickshaw runs on battery and once charged it covers a distance of 70-80 kilometers depending on road conditions - It can carry five persons at a time and has a top speed of 25 kmph [© hindustantimes.com] For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Smart-e-rickshaws-e-solution-to-Delhi-in-commuting-problems-tp4679850.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
