• Control of Vehicular & Industry Emission

The Namma Auto Project is promoting sustainable last-mile connectivity in urban spaces by facilitating loans for auto drivers to move to electric vehicles. Auto-rickshaws cater to at least 10 percent of on-road mobility in urban areas. The emissions they spew out contribute to a major chunk of ambient pollution. So, we are dishing out a cleaner last-mile alternative to this by facilitating loans for drivers to move to electric vehicles, holding awareness as well as behavioral change events for the public at large and also bridging policy-level gaps in the sector together with the government. The Namma Project works towards reducing emissions and pollution from the auto-rickshaw sector in Bengaluru and Chennai while fostering sustainable growth of the Auto-rickshaw sector.

The project promotes a shift from 2 stroke technology to less polluting technologies (4 stroke /electric autorickshaws), in the two cities. The project is funded by the European Union under their Switch Asia Programme and is implemented by ACRA along with a consortium of partners including ENVIU, TERI and WHAD. The project objective is addressed through a three-pronged strategy: Improving the demand for eco-friendly auto-rickshaws – Through ride-booking apps, framework agreements with Public transport entities, behavioural change communication and focused research to measure the GHG emissions from the autos;

Improving the supply of eco-friendly Auto-rickshaws – Through mobilising, training, capacity building and structuring of driver organizations so as to equip them as a community to make the shift, building financial instruments for green-autos, facilitating better financing options, building a positive image for driversFacilitating a favourable policy environment – Work with policymakers to assess the policy and regulatory gaps, support the transport department with knowledge sharing and capacity building activities, dissemination of the research findings to stakeholders at large