KUALA TERENGGANU – The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), in transforming the iconic rickshaw into a modern means of transportation, has launched an electronic trishaw (e-Beca) to further boost the trishaw industry in Terengganu.
Its deputy minister, Datuk Ahmad Amzad Hashim said the e-Beca, which is equipped with modern accessories, would make it easier for the riders, especially the elderly as it is equipped with an LED screen display, audio system and solar-powered battery, thus they need not be paddled like a traditional trishaw.
“If we do not introduce innovation, this trishaw (industry) will become extinct because the average age of the trishaw riders that we have now is between 65 and 70.
“We have a lot of technology that can be applied to make it easier for them to ride the trishaws and today, Alhamdulillah, we are able to launch three versions of the e-Beca developed by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Melaka (UTeM).
“The e-Beca combines innovations involving the use of renewable energy, namely solar. They do not have to be paddled,” he told a press conference after launching the Terengganu e-Beca here today.
Ahmad Amzad said the Terengganu e-Beca initiative was carried out through a government initiative under the High Impact Programme 6 involving SME Corp as the financier and MOSTI through Yayasan Inovasi Malaysia as the implementing agency for the Terengganu Trishaw Innovation Competition 2021.
“The Terengganu Trishaw Innovation Competition saw UTeM emerge as the champion, which came with a winning prize of RM90,000 in HIP6 grant, amounting to RM90,000, for model development, research, testing and marketability of e-Beca development in Terengganu,” he said. – Bernama, June 2, 2022
