It's been 14 days since the University of Hyderabad (UoH) started e-auto rickshaw services on its campus. Being run by Transvahan Technologies, Bengaluru, a company which offers cutting-edge automotive solutions, the two e-auto rickshaws ferried more than 35 people within the first two hours of its launch on December 6, 2019, informs Prof RS Sarraju, Dean, Students' Welfare. "So, you can estimate how useful it is for our campus," says the professor.
On the way
The routes that the two e-auto rickshaws travel on connect departments, hostels and the library of the university. Running from 8 am to 6 pm from Monday to Saturday, the two vehicles charge Rs 10 and the payments can be made through e-wallets and through UPI as well. While it was Transvahan Technologies who approached the university with the proposal of introducing an environment-friendly transport system, the university recently organised a meeting which involved all its stakeholders. In the meeting, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals were discussed and so were issued like water management, eco-club, e-commute and so on.
Though there are buses available on the campus which ferry students from time to time, the e-auto rickshaws are essentially for visitors, teaching and non-teaching staff. "Also, those students who are physically-disabled can use the e-auto rickshaw service for free," the professor says.
For and against
The professor informs that though there are a few students who have expressed their dislike for introducing these e-auto rickshaws because they feel it encourages privatisation and is against the culture of offering lifts, the professor goes on to assert that, "These vehicles are just an additional service provided on the campus."
The large campus of UoH is already well-known for its biodiversity as it is home to 75 varieties of birds, has a huge green cover adorned with interesting rock formations and a lake too. The introduction of e-auto rickshaw services on the campus was done to contribute to mitigating environmental challenges and improving air quality. While the vehicles have been provided by Transvahan Technologies, they have given it at an 'own, operate and maintain' basis.
