Bike ambulances to get national standards: What MoRTH's draft rules propose
India plans a dedicated regulatory framework for bike ambulances. The draft rules set standards for construction, safety, registration and periodic fitness inspections
 "Bike ambulances to get national standards: What MoRTH's draft rules propose")
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Monday proposed bringing bike ambulances under a dedicated regulatory framework for the first time by amending the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989. If notified, the rules will apply to two-wheeled road ambulances manufactured on or after October 1, 2027.
Notably, several states and Union territories, including Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, already use bike ambulances to provide emergency medical assistance in areas where conventional ambulances face access constraints. However, there are no national standards governing these vehicles as a separate category.
Why are new rules needed?
According to the draft notification, two-wheeled road ambulances are “not regulated as a distinct vehicle category under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules". As a result, there are no national requirements governing their "construction, functional safety, patient-handling systems, type approval, registration and fitness inspection".
The ministry proposed to address this by adopting ‘AIS-209 (Part 1):2026 – Construction and Functional Requirements for Life Support Two-Wheeled Road Ambulances’ as the technical standard for these vehicles.
What does AIS-209 provide?
The proposed framework defined a two-wheeled road ambulance as an L2-category vehicle fitted or attached with an ambulance accessory unit or patient-conveyance system.
The standard laid down construction and functional requirements covering vehicle stability and braking performance, parking brake and gradeability requirements, rear visibility, coupling integrity, emergency conspicuity and warning devices, and safe patient loading, restraint and protection from environmental exposure.
Who will have to comply?
The draft proposed that L2-category two-wheeled road ambulances manufactured on or after October 1, 2027 comply with AIS-209 (Part 1):2026. It also proposed that emergency top lights fitted on these vehicles meet the same standard from that date.
The draft further said such ambulances “may be registered to ply in areas determined by the respective State Governments.”
What changes for registration and fitness?
The proposal classified two-wheeled road ambulances as transport vehicles, which makes them subject to periodic fitness certification. The certificate of fitness will have to be renewed every two years.
The draft also prescribed dedicated fitness inspections.
“These will cover the secure mounting of the ambulance accessory or patient-conveyance unit, tyres and rims, emergency warning lights, the patient stretcher and its locking mechanism, patient-restraint systems, loading and unloading mechanisms, and the availability and validity of the fire extinguisher,” the ministry said.
What to watch next
The ministry said the proposed framework is expected to improve the safety and accountability of two-wheeled road ambulances while supporting faster emergency response in places where conventional ambulances face mobility or access constraints. Comments on the draft rules will be accepted for 30 days before the amendments under the CMVR, 1989 are finalised.