The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has expressed concern over the recently released Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme 2023. It stated the implementation of the scheme could adversely impact the livelihoods of countless gig workers across Delhi.
The Scheme envisages that aggregators and delivery service providers in Delhi will switch to an all-electric fleet by April 1, 2030. The existing conventional vehicles (petrol, CNG, and diesel propelled) on-boarded by them will be liable for penalty.
IAMAI said the EV conversion targets prescribed in the scheme appear to be based on assumptions of ecosystem maturity rather than evidence-based research. The paucity of charging stations and battery-swapping infrastructure in the capital make the scheme’s ambitious targets virtually impossible to meet.
IAMAI added that aggressive EV transition mandates for aggregators and delivery service providers could lead to significant disruptions to business activity and livelihoods of gig workers in the capital. The EV conversion targets prescribed in the scheme pose a significant risk to gig workers who have heavily invested their capital, often through loans, in internal combustion engine (ICE) powered vehicles. Moreover, the extremely high costs associated with owning an EV make it a commercially unfeasible option for most gig workers in the capital.
The target of 100% electrification of bike taxis operating in Delhi right from the outset also raises serious concerns as the lack of a moratorium for bike taxis could render numerous gig workers without work overnight.
Established in 2004, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is a not-for-profit industry body and the country’s only organization representing the digital services industry with over 500 Indian and multinational corporations as its members.
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