E-rickshaw License Awareness Street Campaign named ‘Safe Driver Campaign’

During the Stakeholder Dialogue on 9 December 2025 at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law, Koshi Province, stakeholders suggested the need to implement robust awareness initiative and showed their commitment to organizing awareness programs at the community level, both independently and in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, to disseminate information about licensing requirements and safety regulations.

Following the discussions, Bikalpa an Alternative, in collaboration with the Morang District Traffic Police Office, organized a one-week street traffic awareness campaign from 4 to 9 January 2026, and mobilized volunteers from BSW faculty students of Mahendra Morang Adarsha Multiple Campus (MMAMC) to spread awareness regarding e-rickshaw licensing. For the street awareness campaign, 30 people were engaged (including traffic police, Bikalpa team and MMAMC students) to sensitize and aware the drivers to obtain driving licenses.

Considering the contribution e-rickshaws have made to people’s daily lives, and with the objective of facilitating drivers who have been deprived of obtaining licenses while ensuring their rights, and livelihoods, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law of Koshi Province introduced a policy initiative to allow city rickshaw drivers to obtain driving licenses through alternative and trial-based methods by removing the written examination. However, despite this initiative, many city rickshaw drivers still do not possess driving licenses. In the absence of a license, if an accident occurs, these low-income drivers cannot claim third-party insurance, and due to negligence or inability to pay compensation, they may even face imprisonment.

Given the seriousness of the issue, it appears necessary to organize awareness programs in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to motivate as many city rickshaw drivers as possible to obtain driving licenses. For this purpose, we approached the MMAMC college and an orientation program was conducted to BSW students on 1^st January 2026, at the premises of MMAMC, Biratnagar. Its main objective was to orient students to volunteer for upcoming one-week E-rickshaw License Awareness Campaign named, ‘सुरक्षित चालक/Safe Driver’ in Biratnagar. During the orientation, Basanta Adhikari, Founder and Executive Director of Bikalpa an Alternative, shared, the main objective of this campaign is to aware e-rickshaw drivers to obtain License. In the orientation he also shared the relevance of E-rickshaw License Awareness Campaign with the major challenge of written test in the past. He mentioned the recent Koshi Provincial Government Amendment to the Provincial Vehicle and Transport Management Regulations 2082, that says, ‘City rickshaw drivers in Koshi Province will no longer be required to take a written exam to obtain a license’. He highlighted that despite newly amended act many e-rickshaw drivers are unlicensed due to lack of awareness. At the end, he urged everyone to join the e-rickshaw license awareness campaign. Besides this, Mr. Santosh Neupane, Head of District Traffic Police Office, Morang mentioned that the traffic police are initiating a “Safe Driver” campaign that identifies licensed e-rickshaw drivers and recognize them as a Safe Driver. He also announced that his aim is to make Biratnagar a better city from Traffic management perspective.

Following the orientation, the group of students were divided into 4 groups to organize the street awareness every day from 3-5pm and request e-rickshaw drivers to process for the license. Stickers and pamphlets were provided to the volunteers to handover it to the drivers and suggest them the benefits of having a driving license. Volunteers were deployed in the main junctions of Biratnagar to raise awareness among city rickshaw drivers regarding the importance of obtaining a driving license and to inform drivers about the legal complications they may face due to the absence of it and encourage them to obtain one. Working alongside the traffic police, the students have been requesting e-rickshaw drivers on the roads to operate vehicles only after obtaining a driving license, to become “safe drivers” and ensure passenger safety, to refrain from driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, to obtain insurance to protect both drivers and passengers, and to comply with traffic rules.

The one-week street awareness campaign ended on 9^th January 2026, with public support, numbers of media coverage and awareness among commuters as well as drivers, on the importance of licenses in Biratnagar, Koshi Province. The campaign not only reached to larger audience through media but it inspired other stakeholders to take similar action in different districts and provinces. According to authorities, many e-rickshaw drivers started reaching out to the Department of Transportation to obtain licenses. This campaign enhanced inter-stakeholders collaboration and helped Bikalpa to create better bond with policy makers, bureaucrats, and volunteers. Statistics indicated that there are approximately 200,000 e-rickshaws operating in Nepal, of which around 80 percent of e-rickshaw drivers do not have driving licenses. Similar to Koshi Province, it is necessary in other provinces of Nepal as well to simplify the licensing process and motivate e-rickshaw drivers to obtain driving licenses.

On 14 January 2026, Bikalpa organized the public event to distribute the certificate to the students engaged in the street awareness campaign and honor the minister who took an initiative in reforming e-rickshaw driving license in Koshi Province. Beside this, stakeholders including Morang District Traffic Police Office, MMAMC lecturer, E-rickshaw Association, Ride sharing app Entrepreneur, E-rickshaw Traders, Madesh Province Focal Person, and Video Contest winners were also honored with Token of appreciation for their continuous support in the campaign as well as solving e-rickshaw license issues. The event was chaired by Prof. Dr. Bhesa Prashad Dhamala, Chairman of Bikalpa an Alternative and Hon. Umakanta Gautam, State Minister for Internal Affairs and Law as Chief Guest. Here’s the event blog link : https://bikalpa.org/blog/research-launch-and-award-distribution-ceremony/

Testimony of BSW students engaged in E-rickshaw License Awareness Campaign.

”I realized that unlicensed driving is not always due to negligence. Many drivers lack information, face complicated procedures, or fear losing a daily income if they attempt the licensing process. This understanding helped me analyze the issue beyond law enforcement and see it as a social and systemic problem” – Nima Tamang.

”The E-Rickshaw License Awareness Campaign was a transformative experience that redefined my understanding of community service. It shifted my perspective from seeing traffic violations as mere “disobedience” to seeing them as a symptom of broader socio-economic hurdles. This placement has solidified my commitment to pursuing social work that addresses root causes rather than just symptoms.” – Sahara Khadka.

”When I started speaking to the drivers, their positive response and attitude towards this campaign amazed me. E-rickshaw drivers were willing to get their license and follow traffic rules. During the campaign, I got to know, many challenges drivers face who are willing to get licenses. Some of the challenges includes, age restriction, citizenship issues, and disability, etc. I hope the government will provide some relief on these challenges in the coming days.” – Archana Acharya.

”We also observed that many drivers lacked basic information regarding where and how to apply for a license. Many approached us voluntarily to seek information, expressed eagerness to obtain a license, and showed willingness to register as Safe Drivers. Overall, this volunteering experience was highly informative and rewarding. It enhanced my communication skills, confidence, and understanding of social and legal challenges related to road safety. I gained valuable insights into the role of community-based awareness programs in influencing public behavior.” – Sanju Rijal

”During final days of E-rickshaw License Awareness campaign, I came across many drivers who have taken initiative to make a license and will make it as soon as possible. While doing awareness, I realized how difficult it is to convince people. This campaign helped me fight my social anxiety.” – Saurav Rai.

”Rickshaw drivers were praising us for our work and also the passengers who were sitting in the rickshaw were giving positive comments to us. It was a great experience we had. It helped build our confidence, and communication skills. I want to thank Bikalpa for this great experience.” – Sweta Guragain.

”I realized that there are different kinds of people in the world, and people are working hard just to live and survive. This campaign made me understand that we should respect everyone, and no profession is less important than another. Everyone is fighting for their life in their own way. I also learned that awareness takes time. If we want to change society and educate people about good practices, we have to take the first step without hesitation. Even a small step is important, and it can create a big impact. This campaign had a significant effect on the drivers, they became more aware, and many felt motivated to get a license.” – Anshu Bastola.

”License plays a vital role for drivers, and we motivated them to obtain a license and while doing this, I also gained confidence to communicate with others. This awareness was for the welfare of the commuters as well.” – Aarti Yadav.

”Some of the drivers didn’t even knew how to get license and from where they can have license. So, we provided them the detailed information. Due to age limit, some of them couldn’t get license, even if they want to. And being the only source of income they have to work. So, some work opportunities should be provided to them to solve their problems.” – Shruti Paudel.

”Simplifying the licensing process for e-rickshaw drivers in Koshi province was a crucial step to promote safe, legal and sustainable urban transport by making license more accessible. It not only protects the drivers from exploitation but also ensure public safety, encourages responsible driving and supports the livelihood of many families.” – Krisha Bhandari.