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Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Indian Express
Centre moots ‘AVAS' sound alerts for e-vehicles when they move below 20kmph
The Central Government is planning to introduce a new regulation on electric vehicles that will require the manufacturers to install a device- called Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS)- to generate sound if the vehicle is moving at the speed above zero to 20 kmph. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has taken this step since most of the electric vehicles, including e-rickshaws, barely emit any sound at less than 20 kmph speed, increasing the chances of accidents if road users, especially pedestrians, are not alerted with some sound. AVAS is being mooted in the wake of the surge in the electric two- and three-wheelers and E-rickshaws have increased significantly over the years as their penetration even in the colonies of the city have gone high and they have become one of the most favoured vehicles for commuters for last mile connectivity. The ministry has published a draft guideline on automotive industry standards requiring fitting AVAS in electric vehicles for their reduced audibility. Sources said that the matter was discussed in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules – Technical Standing Committee (CMVR-TSC), which is the apex body for setting motor vehicle safety standards, and the final regulation will be issued soon. 'When an electric vehicle moves above 20 kmph speed, it generates some sound through its tyres. However, this is not the case when it is below 20 kmph. Given the government push, the number of electric and hybrid vehicles are increasing every year and especially E-rickshaws have grown in huge numbers even in much smaller cities. Considering the situation, there is a need to bring this regulation, so that any incident due to the sound can be avoided. Due to the quiet mode of these vehicles, Pedestrians, cyclists are not aware that a vehicle is coming from behind them, which leads to accidents,' said an officer. The officials said that the AVAS is mandated in electric and hybrid vehicles in countries like the United States, Japan. The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi is also conducting a study on the need of AVAS in electric vehicles. 'The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), an apex body of vehicle manufacturers, approached for this study. It is still ongoing and we have not arrived at the conclusion yet. We are looking into the different aspects of the electric vehicle to find out if AVAS is needed in the electric vehicle or not,' said Dr Anoop Chawla, professor of Mechanical Engineering, IIT-Delhi. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Indian Express
Ola, Uber fares may rise as Centre allows cab aggregators to charge two times of base fare during peak hours
The fares of online cab aggregators, like Uber, Ola and Rapido, may see a hike as the government has allowed the companies to charge up to two times of the base fare during the peak hours. Earlier, the vehicle aggregators could charge 1.5 times the base fare as surge price or dynamic fare during peak hours. In a revised Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, released Tuesday, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said that during non-peak hours, the aggregators can charge a minimum of 50 per cent of the base fare. The fare notified by the state government for the respective category or class of motor vehicles shall be the base fare chargeable to passengers availing services from the aggregator. The states have been advised to adopt the revised guidelines within three months. 'The base fare chargeable shall be for a minimum of three kilometers to compensate for dead mileage including the distance travelled without a passenger and the distance travelled and fuel utilized for picking up the passenger,' the guidelines read. According to the guidelines, no passenger can be charged for dead mileage except when the distance for availing the ride is less than three kilometres and the fare shall be charged only from the point of origin of the journey to the point of destination where the passenger is dropped off. It further stated that the driver onboard, along with the motor vehicle with the aggregator, shall receive at least 80 per cent of the fare applicable, including all cost under driver's fare and the remaining charges may be retained as the apportioned fare by the aggregator. The payment may be settled daily, weekly or fortnightly but not later as per the agreement between the driver and the aggregator. 'With respect to motor vehicles owned by the aggregator the on-boarded driver shall receive at least 60% of the fare applicable, including all costs specified in Driver Fare and the remaining charges shall be retained as the Apportioned Fare,' the revised guidelines stated. On cancellation, it says that if a ride is cancelled by the driver after accepting the journey, in that case, a penalty of 10 per cent of the fare, not exceeding Rs 100, shall be imposed where such cancellation is made without a valid reason. Similarly, if a passenger cancels the ride without valid reason, a penalty of 10 per cent of the fare, not exceeding Rs 100, will be imposed. The Ministry added that the new guidelines, which is a revised version of its 2020 order, is an attempt to provide light-touch regulatory system while attending to issues of safety and security of the user and welfare of the driver. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Cabinet approves four-laning of key section on NH-87 linking Rameswaram
The Union Cabinet Tuesday approved the four-laning of the 46.7-km Paramakudi- Ramanathapuram section of NH-87 in Tamil Nadu at a cost of `1,853 crore. The project is part of the Madurai-Dhanushkodi corridor, which connects the religious centres of Madurai and Rameswaram. The stretch between Madurai and Paramakudi is already four-lane, while a Detailed Project report (DPR) is under preparation for the section from Ramanathapuram to Dhanushkodi. A senior official of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said the four laning of the Paramakudi-Ramanathapuram section will increase the average speed of vehicles by 67% (from 48 kmph to 80 kmph) and reduce travel time by 40% (from 60 minutes to 30 minutes). 'Currently, the connectivity between Madurai, Paramakudi, Ramanathapuram, Mandapam, Rameshwaram, and Dhanushkodi is dependent on the existing 2-lane NH-87 and associated State Highways, which experience significant congestion due to high traffic volumes…,' the Ministry said in a statement. The project will connect with five major National Highways namely NH-38, NH-85, NH-36, NH-536, and NH-32 and three State Highways SH-47, SH-29 and SH-34, which will ensure seamless connectivity across logistics nodes of southern Tamil Nadu and strengthen movement of freight to Rameswaram. 'The project will generate 8.4 lakh man-days direct and 10.5 lakh man-days indirect employment. The annual average daily traffic is estimated at 12,700 passenger car units (PCU),' the statement said. Officials said the Paramakudi-Ramanathapuram project will be in Hybrid Annuity Model, a variant of PPP. From ticketing, PNR enquiry, food on train to RailMadad services, the RailOne app was launched as a one-stop solution for all passenger services by Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Tuesday. The app integrates services spread across different apps into a single platform for reserved, unreserved and platform ticket bookings, live train tracking, grievance redressal mechanism through RailMadad, PNR enquiry and e-catering. Officials said that 3% discount will be offered on unreserved tickets purchased through R-Wallet. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
Indian Express
27-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
After Bihar plant loco export to the Republic of Guinea, BLW dispatches locos to Mozambique
Amid the Indian Railways' push for export of rail equipment, the Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) has exported two locomotives to Mozambique. Officials said that the export was done as per the major contract awarded by Mozambique Railways (CFM) for manufacturing and supply of 10 diesel locomotives. BLW, a flagship production unit of Indian Railways, will dispatch the remaining eight locomotives by December 2025, said the officials. 'The global contract for 10 locomotives was awarded to RITES, a public sector undertaking (PSU) of Ministry of Railways, who further got the locomotives manufactured at BLW. These are advanced diesel locomotives of 3300 horse power. It is capable of running at a maximum speed of 100 kmph on Cape Gauge (1067 mm). BLW has exported locomotives to Mozambique earlier as well,' said a senior official of the Ministry of Railways. These 3300 HP diesel locomotives feature many special facilities for the loco pilot or the driver such as refrigerator, hot plate, mobile holder, aesthetic cab design, toilet etc., in accordance with international standards. The data available with the BLW shows that it has supplied a total of 10 Cape Gauge diesel locomotives (3000 HP, AC-AC) to Mozambique's state-owned rail company CFM so far, with the oldest locomotive being sent in 2008-09. During 2021-22 and 2022-23, it supplied a total of five locomotives, which are currently in successful operation in Mozambique. Apart from BLW, other production units such Marhowra Plant in Bihar has also started exporting locomotives. On June 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off a state-of-the-art locomotive built at the Marhowra Plant, for export to the Republic of Guinea. This is the first export locomotive manufactured in this factory. Officials said that since the establishment of Banaras Locomotive Works (formerly Diesel Locomotive Works) on 23 April 1956, it has manufactured more than 10,000 locomotives for Indian Railways, steel plants, mines, ports and export. In January 1976, the first exported locomotive went to Tanzania. After this, the locomotive manufactured here were sent to countries like Vietnam, Mali, Senegal, Angola, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mozambique, Sudan etc. In all, a total of 174 locomotives have been exported by the BLW so far. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
Indian Express
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Indian Express
NDLS: No parking fee for first 8 mins after vehicle drops passenger, FASTag payment to be introduced
No parking charges to be paid by a vehicle for the first 8 minutes after it drops off passengers, also a fee to be collected through FASTag – these are some of the features of a new access-controlled parking system that will come into effect at the Ajmeri Gate side of New Delhi Railway Station on Wednesday. Addressing the long-standing problem of parking at Ajmeri Gate, the Northern Railway has introduced a new system, under which any vehicle – private as well as commercial – will not be charged any fee for the first 8 minutes after the vehicle drops off passengers. Between 8 minutes to 15 minutes, a vehicle will be charged Rs 50, and between 15 minutes to 30 minutes, one will have to pay Rs 200. 'After 30 minutes, a fee of Rs 500 will be charged, and the vehicle may be towed away. The new access-controlled parking system is primarily implemented to alleviate traffic congestion at New Delhi Railway Station, especially on the Ajmeri Gate side,' said a senior official of Northern Railway. Also, the fee will be collected either through FASTag or via parking receipts issued at a kiosk set up at the entrance of the pick-and-drop lane. The fee will be collected at the exit gate, where boom barriers will be installed. The official further said that only vehicles dropping off passengers will be allowed to proceed to the main station premises. For picking up passengers, the designated parking area should be used since the wait time is usually more than 8 minutes, the official added. 'If a cab driver has to wait for more than 8 minutes to pick up a passenger, it is advisable to park the vehicle in the designated VIP parking area or General parking lots to avoid penal charges. These areas have specific parking rates for longer durations,' said the official. With this, all three access control lanes at the station will be used only for dropping off passengers. Fines will be imposed on the vehicle using these lanes for pick-up, officials said. 'The main purpose of this new system is to reduce haphazard parking and avoid congestion. Fines will be imposed on vehicles violating these rules. As of now, this new parking system is only for the Ajmeri Gate side of New Delhi Railway Station,' said the official. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
