Pollution-plagued Delhi aims to make 25% of new cab registrations electric

THE government of the Indian state of Delhi has proposed mandating a quarter of new cab registrations to electric vehicles, a draft note by its transport department said, AFP reported.

The proposal would mandate apps providing transportation or delivery services, including cab operators such as Ola and Uber and food-delivery apps Swiggy and Zomato, to register with the state government as soon as the law becomes effective.

The Arvind Kejriwal government has also sought feedback from stakeholders on the draft, which also proposed mandating half of all new two and three-wheelers used for ride-sharing and deliveries to be electric within one year of registration, the report added.

Air pollution is a major challenge to public health in Delhi and the transport sector is considered one of the biggest contributors to the pollution in and around the capital region, followed by industries and utilities, India’s earth sciences ministry has said.

It has also been said that cabs have particularly emerged as a major source of pollution in Delhi with every cab operated by companies such as Ola and Uber covering nearly 90,000 miles a year on average.

The transport department’s draft, if approved, could give a much-sought relief to Delhi’s citizens and the finances of the city’s public health, which according to experts, incurs millions of dollars in healthcare costs every year due to pollution.

The move could also bring down demand for fossil fuels that cause massive pollution, in and around the region, the AFP report added.

The draft also proposed penalising companies that fail to comply with election vehicle transition goals.