The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has started the process of amending the Central Motor Vehicles Rules to accommodate ‘quadricycle’ as a category of vehicle.
“A draft notification proposing to amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules for inclusion of ‘quadricycle’ as a category of vehicle and rules thereof is under process,” a Road Ministry official said.
The Road Ministry has allowed plying of quadricycles on the road but after they are registered under the commercial transport category for intra-city movement within municipal limits only.
These vehicles will be permitted to be driven only by licensed drivers after due registration.
As an identification symbol ‘Q’ will be prominently displayed on the body of these quadricyles.
Quadricycles are a new category of 4-wheeled vehicles which are considered safer than three-wheelers as they have fully enclosed body structure with hard top and doors.
But their maximum speed limit and engine capacity are lower than that of a small car.
The decision to allow plying of quadricycles on roads will benefit auto majors such as Bajaj which is believed to have already readied a prototype.
Bajaj Auto, last year, had unveiled the quadricycle code-named RE60, which is powered by a 200 cc petrol engine with a top speed of 70 km per hour (kmph) and with a mileage of 35 km per litre (kmpl).