Bajaj Auto's RE60 quadricycle is likely to hit the roads in West Bengal and the government has given its approval to the new mode of transport.
"We have reviewed the product which is a cross between an auto and a taxi. We can bring out this vehicle on roads as contract or stage carriage," state transport minister Madan Mitra today said.
He said the state government was keen to introduce the 216cc vehicle on roads as an alternative to autorickshaws and costly taxis. "This vehicle can become poor man's taxis as the fare can be much less than normal taxis," Mitra said.
Mitra is trying to promote the vehicle to break the monopoly of autos in cities which are creating a lot of nusiance, but the government cannot ban them as they serve as last-mile connectivity for many commuters.
State transport secretary Alapon Bandhypopadhay said the company has to get a few clearances before the government can decide on how to use it. Bajaj Auto Sr VP C K Rao said the Union government is likely to allow this as city public vehicle shortly. RE60 is of same length as autos and it can run on both LPG and petrol.
Bajaj is yet to fix price the product, but indicated that it would be close to Rs 1.95 lakh, about Rs 40,000-Rs 45,000 costlier than an auto.
