Executive Summary de mand for the auto-

Study Objective and Approach | As the demand for urban increases in , so too does the popularity of the auto- rickshaw. Production of this type of motorized three-wheeler has doubled between 2003 and 2010. In major Indian cities, it is responsible for a significant share of motorized trips. Strategies to improve urban transport must include a policy vision for this increasingly important sector. To that end, this paper examines the role the auto-rickshaw sector can play in promoting sustainable urban . It develops a policy vision for this sector and presents recommendations on reforms to address sustainability challenges.

Sustainable Urban Transport in India 5 The Avoid-Shift-Improve (ASI) framework, one of Vehicle Performance and Need the key approaches to promote sustainable urban for Improvements transport, is the basis of this study. The ASI frame- work is based on three key strategies: (1) avoid This paper assesses the performance of the mo- unnecessary trips, (2) shift to more sustainable torized three-wheeler (auto-rickshaw) in Indian transport modes, and (3) improve performance cities with respect to two important sustainability in all modes (Dalkmann and Brannigan 2007). parameters—emissions and road safety—to identify In assessing the role of the auto-rickshaw sector current challenges and areas for vehicle-related in promoting sustainable urban transport, this reforms that can improve performance: paper looks specifically at how auto- can Emissions: A key challenge in the auto- contribute to Shift and Improve strategies, using a rickshaw sector is its emissions of particulate two-pronged approach: matter of aerodynamic diameter of less than

Examination of the role of the type of service 10 microns (PM10). PM10 are known to have ad- (contract carriage) provided by auto-rickshaws verse impacts on health, and the conventional in promoting sustainable urban transport, as two-stroke engine auto-rickshaws prevalent in part of the Shift strategy; many cities are major sources of these emis- sions (Shah and Iyer 2004). Assessment of the need for improvements in the type of vehicle (motorized three-wheeler) Road Safety: The paper looks at the impact of in the auto-rickshaw sector to promote the auto-rickshaw sector on the safety of both sustainable urban transport, as part of the city pedestrians and the rickshaws’ occupants Improve strategy. (driver and passengers). Research conducted by EMBARQ India using pedestrian fatality data for and shows that auto- Role of Auto-rickshaw Sector in rickshaws lead to fewer fatal pedestrian acci- Promoting Sustainable Urban Transport dents than do motorized two-wheelers and . This is likely a result of their lower speeds and Role of the Type of Service (Contract Carriage) lighter weights (Mohan and Roy 2003). There are concerns for the safety of auto-rickshaw oc- The findings from this study indicate that auto-rick- cupants, however, particularly in multivehicle shaw services in cities can help meet the objectives collisions (ones between auto-rickshaws and of the Shift strategy—of promoting other motor vehicles). A study of auto-rickshaw and reducing private motorization—based on the injury patterns in revealed that following aspects: multivehicle collisions were the leading cause First and last mile connectivity to public of injury for auto-rickshaw occupants transport: Auto-rickshaw services, integrated (Schmucker et al. 2009). as a feeder mode providing such connectivity, can complement public transport systems by ensuring that all parts of the city have easy ac- The Way Forward for the Auto- cess to public transport stations. rickshaw Sector in Indian Cities Door-to-door transport alternative to Policy Vision private motor vehicles: The door-to-door on-demand service provided by auto-rickshaws The National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) of the will ensure that transport needs requiring door- Ministry of Urban Development, Government of to-door connectivity, such as occasional trips to India, is the key guiding policy at the national level the or emergency trips for health care, focusing on urban transport in India (MoUD 2006). can be met in cities without having to rely on With the underlying rationale of people-based private motor vehicles. transport planning, the NUTP framework focuses on planning and investments in public transport and nonmotorized transport (NMT) systems in cities.

6 WRI.org Auto-rickshaw services in cities can help promote public transport usage and reduce private motorization...

To meet the objectives of the NUTP, the findings higher oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions from this study highlight the need for an overarch- from four-stroke engines need to be addressed ing policy vision for the auto-rickshaw sector in through reforms in current emission standards. urban transport (Figure E.1) based on the Shift and  The engine and fuel-related reforms should Improve strategies of the ASI framework to pro- be pursued by State transport departments mote sustainable urban transport. as the nodal regulatory agencies.

Reform Needs and Next Steps  The needed reforms in emission standards are the adoption of separate emission stan- In accordance with the policy vision, the following dards for HC and NOx emissions, instead of regulatory and vehicle-related reforms will help the current combined (HC + NOx) standard. ensure that the auto-rickshaw sector supports pub- These reforms should be pursued by the lic transport and provides alternatives to private Standing Committee on Implementation of vehicles, while addressing the sustainability chal- Emissions Legislation set up by the Ministry lenges of emissions and road safety: of and Highways (MoRTH)   Ensure Availability of Dispatch Services: for emissions legislation (SIAM 2011b). Auto-rickshaw services in the majority of   Improve Road Safety: Vehicle design improve- Indian cities are provided by individual owner- ments such as seat belts and padding on stiff operators rather than by fleet companies. The surfaces (Schmucker et al. 2009) have been lack of organization makes it difficult to provide noted as key reform needs to improve occupant dispatch (dial-a-rickshaw) services. This needs safety in multivehicle collisions. Further, infra- to be addressed through regulatory reforms structure interventions such as dedicated lanes that enable fleet-based operations with dispatch for auto-rickshaws, narrow lanes, and speed services to enter the auto-rickshaw sector. tables on urban roads to reduce average speeds  These regulatory reforms should be will reduce the risk of occurrence of multive- pursued by State transport departments, hicle collisions. which are the nodal regulatory agencies for  Vehicle design improvements, through the auto-rickshaw sector. reforms in current motor vehicle safety   Reduce Emissions: Findings from this study regulations, should be pursued by the highlight that improvements in engine technol- Automotive Industry Standards Committee ogy (moving from two-stroke to four-stroke en- (AISC) (SIAM 2011b) set up by MoRTH for gines) is potentially the best approach to reduce motor vehicle safety regulations.

PM10 emissions from the auto-rickshaw sector.  Infrastructure interventions to improve auto- Four-stroke engines have lower PM10, hydrocar- rickshaw occupant safety should be pursued bon (HC), and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by City governments as part of their citywide than two-stroke engines (Shah and Iyer 2004). road safety enhancement strategies. Further, four-stroke engines can reduce PM10 emissions by running on (CNG) and other alternatives to (Reyn- olds, Grieshop and Kandlikar, 2011). However,

Sustainable Urban Transport in India 7 Figure E.1 | Policy Vision for the Auto-rickshaw Sector in Cities

8 WRI.org