Eco-friendly autos to befriend Bangalore roads

Bangalore: Bangaloreans are of late seeing a different kind of autorickshaw on a few roads —  a red, sleek, four-seater versi­on, bigger than what they are accustomed to travelling in.

On hiring them they are delighted to find they need to pay only Rs 10 for every kilometer, even if they seem to travel a lot slower than  the other autos which zip through the streets at high speed, wracking their bones in the process.  

These new arrivals are battery operated three-wheelers that  are far less polluting. Var­un Goel, a commerce graduate from Bangalore,  who has ventured into the business of importing these vehicles from China for short distance use in the city,  is currently  running five of them on trial, ferrying passengers in K.R. Market, Koram­ang­ala,  Begur Road, and B­anne­rgh­atta Road. Goel says he  was inspired by seeing these autos operate in Delhi, Raj­a­s­than, Kolkata, Pune, Ahme­dabad and some parts of Bih­ar.

Although eco-friendly, these three-wheelers  can only run at a speed of 20 kms per hour. But he is confident they have a role to play in short distance travel in the city, as people will have to pay merely Rs10 a km if they are introduced in Bangalore, instead of the current amount.

So confident is he about his venture’s success that he is planning to import 50 more of these eco-friendly electric aut­ori­ckshaws  by the end of the month.

“The advantage of these battery operated vehicles is that they do not give out carbon-monoxide emissions and don’t add to the noise pollution. They could be used as feeders for  the Metro Rail and at  BMTC bus stops, besides ot­her areas frequented by Bangaloreans and tourists, ”  says environmentalist Suresh Heblikar.