Rajshahi University’s electric car (e-car) transport service, launched to ease student commuting, has been shut down after only four months of operation. The service, introduced by the Rajshahi University Alumni Association (RUAA) on October 26 last year, faced losses, fare disputes, and mechanical failures. By the last week of March, all e-cars were withdrawn from service.

Initially, five e-cars were deployed, but two soon became inoperative due to mechanical faults. Drivers paid the company a daily fee of Tk 1,500 and kept the remaining income as wages. Passenger numbers declined over time, and disagreements arose over fare rates. The university administration attempted to set fixed stops and fares, but confusion persisted after the student union’s general secretary promised a Tk 5 fare within the campus.

E-car service manager Enayet Kabir Likhon said repeated discussions with RUAA failed to resolve the issues, and the operating company lost interest in continuing. RUAA’s general secretary, Professor Nizam Uddin, cited technical problems and road conditions as key causes but said new vehicles might be purchased soon for free campus transport if the university approves.