NEW DELHI: In a bid to combat air pollution in the national capital, the city government on Saturday notified an ‘aggregator policy’ to mandate all aggregators and delivery service providers to adopt electric vehicles for their new fleets for operations. The draft policy has been placed for public opinion for sixty days.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that the policy will provide a necessary push to the aggregator industry to become environment friendly. Aggregators would need to ensure 10 per cent of all new two-wheelers and 5 per cent of all new four-wheelers are electric in the next three months. Further, by March 2023, aggregators will have to ensure 50 per cent of all new two-wheelers and 25 per cent of all new four-wheelers are electric.
The government will also be making a representation to the Commission for Air Quality Management to direct other states in the NCR area to also adopt the policy.
Gopal Rai said that Delhi has become the first Indian state to adopt an aggregator policy to regulate vehicular emissions from the ride-hailing industry.
Ride-hailing services, as well as delivery service providers (food delivery, e-commerce logistics providers, couriers), have altered vehicular patterns in Delhi, the minister said.
Cabs have been the most popular model, followed by buses, bikes and auto-rickshaws, which have gained matured ridership, as these aggregators continue expanding their operations.
Drafted in accordance with regulations set forth by the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2020, the ‘aggregator policy’ proposes incentives to ensure the transition to EV among the ride-hailing industry happens in a time-bound manner.
The now-approved draft policy has now been put in the public domain inviting suggestions and objections from the general public within a period of 60 days, post which it would be notified for implementation.
Advisor to the state environment minister, Reena Gupta, said, “The essence of the proposed policy by the GNCTD is to ensure the entire spectrum of vehicles used by aggregators and delivery service providers are brought into the fold of sustainable, clean and electric mobility.”