ANNOUNCEMENTS
Electric mobility has emerged as a potential remedy for the issue for emissions from the transportation sectors which is a major contributor to air pollution. However, electric mobility has not yet been a common option for India's enormous population in terms of transportation so, therefore, it is crucial to understand auto rickshaw drivers' attitudes and preferences in preferring Electric Autos (EARs) over conventional ones. Therefore, in order to better understand the perceptions and factors that affect auto rickshaw drivers' willingness to buy (WTB) and willingness to accept (WTA) additional subsidy for electric auto rickshaw (EAR), a study is conducted in Delhi based on data from 150 face-to-face surveys. The binary logistic and the bivariate probit regression models were used to predict the probabilities of auto rickshaw drivers’ WTB and WTA additional subsidy for EAR in Delhi. A separate analysis was carried out for owners and rentier drivers of auto rickshaw. The results indicate that the respondents have an adequate level of understanding of the EAR. When buying an EAR, respondents usually give higher consideration to the EAR's actual cost (selling price, charging fee, battery lifetime and cost, maintenance cost, etc.), but load capacity and driving speed receive very little consideration. Owner drivers' WTB behaviour will be greatly influenced by respondents' knowledge of EAR, the age of their conventional vehicle, and EAR battery range. However, their consideration on EAR’s sale price and charging fee has a negative influence on WTB. For rentier drivers, a high level of education, payment of rent, the cost of CNG fuel, knowledge of EAR, subsidies, battery life, charging infrastructure, and battery range will significantly encourage WTB behaviours, while their consideration on EAR’s charging fees, battery charging times, and sale prices has a negative influence on WTB. The mean WTA value for EAR is predicted using the contingent valuation method (CVM) and double-bounded dichotomous choice model to be INR 10952.38 for owners and INR 39545.45 for rentiers. The findings will help policy makers in understanding auto rickshaw drivers’ purchase behaviour of EAR and can offer some effective supports for EAR development in Delhi.
Key Words: Electric Auto Rickshaw, Double-bounded Dichotomous Choice, Willingness to Buy, Willingness to Accept, Theory of Planned Behaviour, Delhi.
