Bengal plans to restrict totos to last-mile routes, ease congestion on main roads
Times of India | 20 July 2026
Kolkata: The West Bengal Transport Department has drawn up a plan to realign the operation of toto, or e-rickshaw, services across urban local bodies (ULBs), restricting them primarily to last-mile connectivity and keeping them off major roads and highways. The move is aimed at easing congestion and strengthening the state’s public transport network.
Under the proposed framework, e-rickshaws will operate mainly on link roads and feeder roads, ferrying commuters between residential neighbourhoods and nearby bus corridors, railway stations, and other public transport hubs. Officials said the objective is to redefine the role of para-transit so that it complements, rather than competes with, buses and other high-capacity modes of transport.
Transport minister Arjun Singh said the govt wanted to create an integrated mobility system in which every mode of transport has a clearly defined role. Currently, e-rickshaws or totos are choking the main roads with their explosive growth, he said. “If we cannot treat them as para-transit option to restrict them to subsidiary roads, our district towns, which are our economic growth centres, will be perpetually choked, snarled and immobile,” he said.
“Totos have become an important part of urban mobility because they provide affordable and convenient last-mile connectivity. However, they should function as feeders to the public transport network, not as substitutes for buses on major roads. Our objective is to make commuting faster, safer and more efficient while reducing congestion on arterial corridors,” Singh said.
Transport officials said the proposal will be implemented in consultation with municipal authorities and local police to identify suitable feeder routes in different towns and cities.
Another official said the department was also examining route rationalisation, parking locations, and passenger pick-up points to make the transition effective.
Road users welcomed the proposal, saying it could improve traffic if implemented effectively.