Electric Bikes Proposed for Delivery Firms

Move aligned with Bahrain’s sustainability and Vision 2030 goals

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A proposal before Parliament would push delivery firms in Bahrain towards electric cars and bikes. MP Ahmed Al Salloom warned that the rise in even the smallest delivery orders adds to emissions, noise and pressure on roads.

The proposal, led by Mr Al Salloom, asks the government to study cleaner transport for delivery companies to cut fuel use, reduce carbon emissions and lower noise in built-up areas.

The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications told the committee it was preparing new rules for delivery services as part of wider changes tied to public transport. The ministry said it was preparing several draft decisions before sending them to the relevant authorities, ministerial committees and the Cabinet.

Those decisions would regulate delivery services in greater detail, requiring companies to work with licensed providers of car rental and electric transport, including electric bikes. Firms using electric vehicles would also receive incentives, including lower fees for issuing operating permit cards for electric bikes than for motorbikes, to encourage cleaner delivery work.

Mr Al Salloom told The Daily Tribune that delivery companies had become part of even the smallest orders.

‘This is an important point,’ he said. ‘Delivery companies now move in every direction. Everything people order, even something as small as a packet of gum, arrives through delivery vehicles. This growth has a direct effect on the environment, on emissions and on the growing pressure on roads.’

He said the number of motorbikes used for delivery was rising and that a gradual move to electric vehicles should start with new firms applying for licences.

‘We see large numbers of motorbikes today, and they are constantly increasing,’ he said. ‘Their spread in this way does not help the environment or Bahrain. A gradual move towards electric bikes and vehicles, especially for new companies seeking licences, would be cheaper to run, less noisy and smoother on the roads.’

Mr Al Salloom said electric vehicles would also allow delivery work to be better organised by area, cutting needless trips across busy roads.

‘Electric vehicles, especially smart ones, provide a greater ability to track and organise routes,’ he said. ‘It is possible to know the route of the bike, where it set off from and where it is going, which helps reduce unnecessary movement between areas.’

He said the point was not only that bikes should be electric, but that delivery work should be arranged more sensibly.