Rickshaw taxis, Delhi

Delhi, India, is issuing 10,000 new permits for 3-wheeled rickshaw taxis. The city’s fleet of rickshaws was capped in 1997 at about 60,000 to cut down on pollution. Since then, many rickshaws have been replaced with those that run on compressed natural gas, and others have been converted to do so.

Meanwhile, with fewer rickshaws, more residents began driving cars, resulting in heavier traffic and pollution, so authorities hope to reverse that. Although rickshaws comprise just 2%-11% of the total number of motorized vehicles in Delhi, they account for 10%-20% of motorized-vehicle trips on roads.