Delhi government proposes cap of 2.5 lakh e-rickshaws in city

The Delhi government has proposed capping the number of e-rickshaws in the Capital at 2.5 lakh under a draft scheme released on Sunday (October 18), citing concerns over traffic congestion, road safety, pollution and the proliferation of such vehicles. 

The draft Delhi E-Rickshaw (Registration and Operation) Scheme, 2026, uploaded on the Transport Department’s website for public feedback, seeks to regulate the registration and operation of e-rickshaws in the city. The public has been given 30 days to submit suggestions before the scheme is finalised. 

Under the draft, no further registrations or E-Rickshaw Compliance Certificates (ECCs) will be issued once the number of e-rickshaws reaches 2.5 lakh, unless the government revises the cap. 

The scheme makes an ECC mandatory for every e-rickshaw. Issued digitally by the Transport Department, the certificate will confirm that the “vehicle, its registered owner or entity and its driver comply with requirements relating to registration, fitness, battery compliance, eligibility and other conditions”. 

The draft proposes limiting individual owners residing in Delhi to five e-rickshaws each. Entities, including companies, firms, NGOs, cooperative societies and driving schools, will be allowed to own no more than 100 e-rickshaws. 

Organisations owning more than 25 e-rickshaws will be classified as aggregators and required to obtain an aggregator licence. They must also ensure adequate charging or battery-swapping arrangements. 

The scheme seeks to bring all e-rickshaws under a “formal and verifiable registration and fitness framework”. It also makes a driving licence and a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) badge mandatory for drivers, besides requiring vehicle registration and an ECC. 

“Each e-rickshaw shall be issued a separate ECC and shall be counted individually towards the city-wide fleet cap,” the draft states.