Latest news with #MinistryofRoadTransportandHighways'
New Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- New Indian Express
Centre allows private bikes to operate as bike taxis under revised aggregator guidelines
NEW DELHI: You can soon lend your bike to bike taxi operators and other app-based service providers and get paid for it. This follows the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' (MoRTH) decision to revise the Motor Vehicles Aggregator Guidelines to allow the use of private (non-transport) motorcycles for passenger transport and hyperlocal deliveries through app-based aggregators. The move, announced on Tuesday, empowers state governments to permit private bike owners to operate as shared mobility service providers, essentially legalising the use of private bikes as bike taxis; a service that has seen rapid growth in the country. 'The state government may allow aggregation of non-transport motorcycles for journeys by passengers as shared mobility through aggregators, resulting in reduced traffic congestion and vehicular pollution, along with providing, inter alia, affordable passenger mobility, hyperlocal delivery, and creating livelihood opportunities," read the guidelines. In an official note addressed to the chief secretaries of states and union territories (UTs), the ministry said that the Guidelines had been revised to keep the regulatory framework up to date with the developments in the motor vehicles aggregator ecosystem. "The new guidelines attempt to provide a light-touch regulatory system while attending to issues of safety & security of the user and the welfare of the driver," the note states. The state governments may adopt these revised guidelines within three months from the date of their issue.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Impact of ₹3,000 FASTag Pass on Toll Operators' Revenue, Reports Crisil, ET Infra
Advt By , ETInfra The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' recent announcement of a ₹3,000 annual FASTag pass is poised to significantly benefit frequent private commuters, but it introduces a new dynamic for private toll operators , according to a recent report by CRISIL Ratings While the pass promises substantial savings for users, it is expected to impact toll collections, potentially necessitating compensation under existing concession to the rating agency, the toll operators may see a revenue hit of 4-8 per cent. Private vehicles form 35-40 per cent of the overall traffic plying on the stretches in our sample. In terms of revenue, the share is lower at 25-30 per cent,' said Anand Kulkarni, Director, Crisil further said, 'Assuming a third of these vehicles purchase the annual pass, revenue of toll operators will be impacted by 4-8 per cent. This may need to be compensated for. Timely finalisation of the compensation mechanism and swift implementation will reinforce the confidence of the private sector which plays a key role in funding the growth of the sector.'The annual FASTag pass , set to be effective from August 15, 2025, will be applicable for private vehicles , including cars, vans, and jeeps, on national highways and national expressways. The pass offers coverage for up to 200 trips or one year from the date of activation, whichever comes a private vehicle typically incurs a toll of ₹70-80 per trip. With the new annual pass, commuters utilising it for 200 trips could realise savings of up to approximately 80 per cent, translating to ₹55-65 per S Kathawala, Associate Director, Crisil Ratings said, 'Credit profiles of our rated toll road projects are expected to withstand potential timing mismatches between implementation of the annual pass and finalisation of the compensation mechanism. If there is a six-month lag in receipt of first compensation and a third of private vehicles opt for the annual pass, the DSCRs4 will have a minimal impact this fiscal year.'
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Toll operators' revenue may take a hit from new FASTag pass: Crisil
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' recent announcement of a ₹3,000 annual FASTag pass is poised to significantly benefit frequent private commuters, but it introduces a new dynamic for private toll operators , according to a recent report by CRISIL Ratings . While the pass promises substantial savings for users, it is expected to impact toll collections, potentially necessitating compensation under existing concession agreements. According to the rating agency, the toll operators may see a revenue hit of 4-8 per cent. ' Private vehicles form 35-40 per cent of the overall traffic plying on the stretches in our sample. In terms of revenue, the share is lower at 25-30 per cent,' said Anand Kulkarni, Director, Crisil Ratings. He further said, 'Assuming a third of these vehicles purchase the annual pass, revenue of toll operators will be impacted by 4-8 per cent. This may need to be compensated for. Timely finalisation of the compensation mechanism and swift implementation will reinforce the confidence of the private sector which plays a key role in funding the growth of the sector.' The annual FASTag pass , set to be effective from August 15, 2025, will be applicable for private vehicles , including cars, vans, and jeeps, on national highways and national expressways. The pass offers coverage for up to 200 trips or one year from the date of activation, whichever comes first. Currently, a private vehicle typically incurs a toll of ₹70-80 per trip. With the new annual pass, commuters utilising it for 200 trips could realise savings of up to approximately 80 per cent, translating to ₹55-65 per trip. Saina S Kathawala, Associate Director, Crisil Ratings said, 'Credit profiles of our rated toll road projects are expected to withstand potential timing mismatches between implementation of the annual pass and finalisation of the compensation mechanism. If there is a six-month lag in receipt of first compensation and a third of private vehicles opt for the annual pass, the DSCRs4 will have a minimal impact this fiscal year.'
The Print
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Print
Has India lost the EV race? Sales figures say so
In the last financial year, sales of electric passenger vehicles in India stood at 110,748 units, according to data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' VAHAN portal. That's an 11 per cent rise on paper—but no matter how one slices and dices the data, this forms a minuscule proportion of overall car sales in the country: just over 3 per cent. And that's despite the noise being made by carmakers with a rash of EV launches over the past few months. Even if we set aside China and the US, smaller car markets such as Thailand are far ahead of India—EVs account for almost 12 per cent of new car sales there. According to Bloomberg data, it is the rapid growth of EV passenger vehicle sales in some of these countries that is truly astounding. In Brazil, sales of EVs climbed 500 per cent between 2022 and 2024; Thailand saw growth of 279 per cent, and Mexico wasn't far behind. Australia clocked in at 145 per cent. All these countries are mature car markets. Maruti-Suzuki has delayed the deliveries of its first electric vehicle, the eVitara, to September. Coupled with lukewarm demand for other recent electric vehicle launches, such as the Hyundai Creta electric, has sparked whispers in the automotive industry about India's electric vehicle future. Need for commercial uptake But that might be the wrong angle to look from. 'I believe the uptake of electric vehicles will happen in India, but as we are seeing, it will be commercial vehicles that will take the lead. Commercial vehicles account for around 10 per cent of 'carpark' of vehicles in India but 70 per cent of the fuel consumption,' Kunal Khattar, Founder, AdvantEDGE, a green mobility company, said. 'And it is only logical that these vehicles should be pushed towards electrification first, followed by two-wheelers. While electrification of private passenger cars is a gold standard, there are still a few infrastructure issues before one can convince most Indian car buyers to go electric. And there is also the higher rate of depreciation of EVs thanks to rapidly improving technology, which isn't a major issue in simpler two and three-wheelers.' The brand director of a foreign carmaker in India said that the issues go a bit deeper than simply infrastructure. 'In my opinion, there are two problems with EVs in India. One, of course, is the rapid rate of evolution of electric vehicles, it is like the early days of smartphones right now. The changes between the 2024 and 2025 models of an electric vehicle, even if they look the same, are dramatic. This is a global issue, but in India, I do believe that many car buyers are holding out on purchases because of the government's flip-flops on EV and trade policy,' he said. The brand director added that carmakers don't get to know if a trade agreement is on the way or not. And unless they know how automobiles and especially electric vehicles will be treated, it's difficult to launch a car today. 'It makes no sense for me to import and launch a vehicle at Rs 50 lakh today and then in three months time cut the price to 40 lakh. And I believe customers know this as well,' he added. Also read: Import duties, Trump, and Tesla—India's auto sector caught in the crossfire The China problem As per the Bloomberg report, in each of the markets where sales of electric vehicles have boomed, the countries have been relatively open to Chinese carmakers, especially BYD. The Chinese carmaker sold 3,72,615 vehicles in April, and 1,95,740 units of those were pure battery-electric cars. BYD has set itself a target of selling 5.5 million cars this year. Basically, in one month alone, BYD sold almost double India's annual EV sales. Their annual sales target a million more than India's total passenger vehicle sales, which stood at 4.3 million in FY 2025—incidentally, BYD India sold around 400 units in April. That last number says a lot about why EV adoption has been weak in India, the country's hesitation to welcome Chinese carmakers—who make the best and most EVs in the world– has meant fewer options for Indian buyers. However, things might be shifting. MG Motor India, part of China's largest auto giant Shanghai Automotive Industrial Company (SAIC), entered a joint venture with Indian conglomerate JSW and ramped up production. MG Windsor has rapidly grown to become India's best-selling EV, proving that even in this market, a well-made Chinese EV will sell. I'll be driving the updated MG Windsor Pro next week and, simply from a price-value proposition, I expect it to blow the competition out of the water. But this is where the Indian government finds its hands tied. Even with a recent thaw of sorts, where do China-India relations stand today? Most Indian EVs, including two and three-wheelers, are using Chinese Lithium cells and are, by value, 30-40 per cent Chinese. While states like Delhi and Maharashtra are promoting EV adoption, more industrial and possibly even demand-side intervention is needed if the government wants to grow electric vehicle sales—beyond just establishing fuel-efficiency norms. There is a growing sense that the government has been dilly-dallying on electric vehicles, which has directly impacted sales. It is time India gets a firm national mobility energy policy for electric vehicles, and even hybrid and natural gas vehicles. This needs clear timelines, and should not be left to the whims of state-level policy-making. @kushanmitra is an automotive journalist based in New Delhi. Views are personal. (Edited by Ratan Priya)
