According to reports, the Maharashtra transport department has filed a lawsuit against bike taxi platforms for operating unlawfully in the Mumbai metropolitan area. The Maharashtra transport department reported to a news source that 123 bike taxi drivers operating in the area were the subject of complaints filed by regional transport offices (RTOs).
Out of this, 76 two-wheelers were seized in accordance with the Motor Vehicles Rules provisions. Twenty flying squads of RTOs from Mumbai, Thane, Vasai, Vashi, and Panvel carried out the activity during a drive.
The department allegedly claimed in a statement that the ride-hailing services that were the target of the action were operating unlawfully and without official approval.
According to the government, the inquiry showed that there were app-based bike taxi businesses operating all throughout the city. In addition to costing the government money, this also made passengers more concerned about their safety.
Transport Department Receives Numerous Complaints
Numerous complaints about the unlawful operation of bike taxis in the city are said to have prompted the crackdown. This almost immediately follows the release of a government resolution by the Maharashtra government that emphasised new regulations to control online aggregators and bike taxi companies in the state under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
To provide such services, the Act requires the appropriate permits. This comes weeks after Pratap Sarnaik, the transport minister for Maharashtra, pretended to be a driver and discovered obvious flaws in the way the city of Mumbai’s bike taxi ban was being implemented.
According to reports, Sarnaik used Rapido to reserve a bike taxi in order to confirm a senior official’s assertion that the app and illicit bike taxi services were not working. Nevertheless, over the past two years, bike taxis have been prohibited throughout Maharashtra. The state government outlawed these services in January 2023 and instructed aggregators to apply for an operating licence.
Tug of War Between Maharashtra Government and Ride Hailing Platforms
The ride-hailing app Rapido recently applied for a licence to provide bike taxi services in the state from the local transport authority but was turned down. It then filed a challenge to the notification with the Bombay High Court (HC).
The company was ordered to cease its bike taxi services for operating without a licence by the HC, which also denied the petition. The state’s bike taxi policy has been in uncertainty ever since.
In the meantime, ride-hailing platform taxi drivers in Mumbai are still demonstrating in favour of quicker aggregator policy implementation and pay parity with traditional taxi drivers.
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