Bajaj Auto launches e-rickshaw Riki, aiming to reset last-mile mobility

MUMBAI: Bajaj Auto has entered the electric rickshaw market with Riki, marking its most aggressive push yet into last-mile mobility. The world’s most valuable two- and three-wheeler maker claims the new line will raise standards in a category long plagued by unreliable range, weak chassis, poor braking and patchy service networks.

The segment has boomed since Covid, adding more than 45,000 vehicles every month as demand for cheap, last-mile transport grows across India’s commuter belts. Yet most offerings remain unorganised, often leaving drivers with low uptime, spiralling maintenance and compromised safety.

Bajaj says Riki is engineered to correct that reputation. The first model in the P40 passenger series, the Riki P4005, offers a certified 149 km range, a monocoque chassis, independent suspension, hydraulic brakes and fast charging in 4.5 hours. It is priced at Rs 1,90,890 (ex-showroom).

The cargo variant, the Riki C4005, delivers the category’s highest certified range at 164 km, a larger tray and 28 per cent gradability, pitched as a booster for driver earnings. It is priced at Rs 2,00,876 (ex-showroom).

Piloted in Patna, Moradabad, Guwahati and Raipur, Riki now rolls out to more than 100 towns across UP, Bihar, MP, Chhattisgarh and Assam.

“Riki brings Bajaj Auto’s trusted 3W engineering into the electric segment at a time when drivers and passengers need dependable solutions,” said Bajaj Auto intra-city business unit president Samardeep Subandh. “It is engineered to lift driver earnings, improve comfort and make last-mile mobility more reliable.”