Pollution fight slows as air quality regulator relaxes clean fuel rule for delivery, cab fleets

The relaxation, notified through a 23 December amendment by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) under the ministry of environment, forest and climate change, follows representations from cab aggregators and gig workers, who argued that shifting entirely to clean-fuel delivery vehicles within the stipulated timeframe would be difficult, according to an executive aware of the discussions.

The decision comes even as the NCR continues to battle severe air pollution, with air quality index levels crossing 400 in parts of the region, highlighting the growing tension between pollution-control objectives and the operational realities of platform-led mobility.

An earlier June notification from CAQM had barred fleet operators from adding petrol- or diesel-run vehicles in the region, effectively mandating delivery platforms and cab aggregators to transition entirely to electric or other clean-fuel vehicles. The latest amendment dilutes that requirement, allowing the induction of BS-VI compliant petrol two-wheelers into fleets for another year.

The norms apply to a wide range of companies with delivery fleets, including food delivery, e-commerce and ride-hailing firms such as Zomato, Swiggy and Rapido, among others.

“A number of representations have also been received from various aggregators, delivery service providers and e-commerce entities, as well as gig workers, highlighting their difficulties with a request to allow them to continue induction of petrol-run two-wheelers in the existing fleet,” the 23 December amendment said.

Email queries sent to the environment ministry and CAQM on December 30 remained unanswered till press time. Queries to Uber, its fleet operator Everest Fleet, Ola, Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Swiggy and Delhivery also did not elicit responses.

The rollback comes at a time when transport emissions remain a major contributor to NCR’s pollution load, a fact acknowledged by the regulator itself. “Significantly high contribution from the transport sector to the overall air pollution load in the entire NCR, consistently throughout the year and more particularly during the winter season, needs no emphasis,” the amendment said, adding that a shift to cleaner transportation would help abate pollution.

Clean fleet challenge

Citing electrification targets under the Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme, 2023, the regulator said that while the target for two-wheeler electrification was 50% within two years, only 9% of bikes and scooters currently in use are high-speed electric vehicles.

“The reason for not achieving the target is non-registration of adequate number of gig workers with high-speed EV two-wheelers,” the 23 December notification said.

Data from the government’s Vahan portal shows that 13.9% of new vehicles sold in Delhi in 2025 were electric, including around 37,000 two-wheelers and about 14,000 cars.

Responding to the decision, Zomato said the extension was necessary to ensure a worker-friendly transition. “Millions of Indians support their families from their delivery earnings using existing personal two-wheelers,” said Anjalli Ravi Kumar, chief sustainability officer, Eternal.

“It is critically important to design a transition to low-emission vehicles that is both worker-friendly and supports improved air quality.”

The company said it was the first food delivery platform globally to commit to the global EV transition and has invested in awareness programmes, facilitated access to rental EVs and engaged with governments and manufacturers to push for affordable, delivery-partner-friendly electric two-wheelers and financing options.

“CAQM’s one-year transition window provides a helpful and necessary runway,” the officer said, adding that sustained electrification would depend on parallel readiness across EV availability, financing, charging and battery-swapping infrastructure, as well as adoption by gig workers.

Unlike cabs, two-wheelers used for deliveries do not have a distinct commercial registration category, leading platforms to rely largely on riders using personal vehicles with limited cost recovery, said Amit Bhatt, India managing director of the International Council on Clean Transportation, a think tank.

“Moving to cleaner vehicles requires upfront investment, raising concerns around delivery costs,” Bhatt said. “This is precisely why a clear EV mandate for all delivery platforms is essential — to create a level playing field and avoid fragmented or voluntary adoption.”

About 6,300 electric motor cabs were sold in India in 2025, out of nearly 300,000 such vehicles, according to Vahan data. Mapping delivery fleets remains difficult, as many e-commerce, quick-commerce and food delivery riders use personal or rented two-wheelers, complicating enforcement of clean mobility mandates.