Main Road of the city is now-a-days relatively calmer, fresher and lesser congested. It is not that traffic police have put a ban on smoky autos from plying or anything like but the battery driven autos have brought a real turnaround for the area, otherwise like hell for daily commuters.
The eco-friendly way of communication has come as a boon for the city which is facing huge challenge of controlling pollution of all types yet offering a convenient mode of conveyance to people who are dependent on the public system of transport to move in the city. The gentle machine has become preferred mode of conveyance in Main Road because of its positive traits and also offers better return to the owner.
The half-a-dozen odd battery driven auto rickshaws that ply in the city are helpful for people to commute in Main Road where public transport system is virtually no–existent. These environment friendly autos added a new dimension to the public transport system in the principal arterial road of the city without adding anything to the level of pollution.
“It does not emit smoke, produces no noise and can ply even on Main Road where fuel based auto is not allowed. What more one can wish for a transport system that provides you the medium of travel that is clean,” said an auto driver, Vijay Kumar Verma.
The auto operates on four 9V batteries that provide power to cover 85km in a single charge and the noise is abysmally low compared to the deafening sound of a fuel based auto that rules city streets. The environment friendly three-wheelers have an added benefit for the driver as it offsets disadvantage of fluctuations of fuel prices leaving them better off financially. The vehicle can ferry up to six passengers in one trip and charges about Rs100 if reserved to travel up to 10km.
“They are in a better position financially because of a very low maintenance cost and less dependent on conventional source of fuel. One auto driver depending on the type of passenger can earn anywhere in the range of Rs800 to Rs1000 per day,” said seller of the auto, Sita Ram Poddar.
The battery operated autos are slowly winning hearts in what could be said the battle between the environment friendly Davids and fuel guzzling Goliaths. The experience of a clean and comfortable ride has made people praise the machine.
“Travelling in a fuel based auto with infants is not a nice experience. They frighten infants because of the noise and jerk. The smooth ride is indeed far better in experience,” said a resident of Kokar, Shreya Kido.
Benefits and financial implications apart, the fuel-cell run three-wheeler is rarely found posing a challenge to traffic police. The maximum speed the auto can reach with the available power of 9V makes the auto stick to its lane as other vehicles zap past it. But only time holds the answer whether these gentle machines which making sweet humming noise can phase out its cacophonous counterpart which is notorious to cause traffic snarls. But the good news for those who want to migrate is that running this auto doesn’t require one to obtain permit.
“They are good option to replace fuel driven auto but the only problem is that they are running in haphazard way. There are no rules governing their operation. If rules are made then are definitely a good option for the city,” said Traffic SP RR Singh.