Battery-run rickshaw drivers with disabilities demand BRTA approval, 10% quota

Battery-run rickshaw drivers with disabilities have made 17 demands, including approval from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and a 10% quota reserved for them in every ward of the city.

They raised the demands at a press conference today (30 October) organised by Ganamukti Mancha and B-SCAN at the National Press Club in the capital.

Among the demands raised during the press conference are using lithium batteries instead of lead batteries in battery-run rickshaws, building area-based charging stations, BRTA approval on specific designs, registration of battery-run rickshaws based on population density in every ward, providing number plates, punishment for operating against rules and providing approval cards after proper registration.

Some other demands raised at the press conference included providing easy loans to battery-run rickshaw drivers with disabilities, creating separate lanes for slow-moving vehicles across the country, providing duty-free access to lithium batteries for the next 10 years and ensuring punishment for operating unregistered battery-run rickshaws.