Maharashtra Minister Poses As Rider, Catches Rapido Flouting Bike Taxi Ban

Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik posed as a driver and found glaring lapses in the implementation of the bike taxi ban in Mumbai.

As per news agency PTI, Sarnaik booked a bike taxi on Rapido in the state’s capital yesterday under a different name to verify a senior official’s claim that the app and illegal bike taxi services are non-operational.

Laying bare the claim of the official, a bike taxi driver swiftly afterwards reached the spot to pick up the minister from the pick up destination.

Sarnaik told the news agency that he booked a ride from Mantralaya to Dadar using the ride-hailing app, which showed a fare of INR 195 for the ride. Afterwards, when the biker arrived at Babu Genu Junction outside Mantralaya, the minister counselled the driver about the illegal service.

As per the report, Sarnaik said that no action was taken against the bike taxi driver.

It is pertinent to note that the Maharashtra government is yet to notify rules for operationalising bike taxi services in the state. A senior transport official said that a proposal has already been forwarded to the state government with minor tweaks in the previous set of rules.

Bike Taxis In Limbo In Maharashtra

In January 2023, the Maharashtra government banned bike taxis in the state and directed the platforms to apply for a licence to operate in the state.

A few days later, ride-hailing platform Rapido approached the local transport department to acquire a licence to offer bike taxi services in the state but was denied permission. Subsequently, it moved the Bombay High Court (HC) challenging the notification after the department refused the permit to operate as a bike taxi aggregator.

Thereafter, the HC also rejected the plea by the aggregator and directed the company to suspend its bike taxi services after discovering that Rapido was operating without a licence. Since then, the bike taxi policy in the state continues to be in limbo.

However, earlier this year in April, the Maharashtra cabinet approved a proposal to allow bike taxis to operate in the state. Sarnaik, at the time, said that only electric bike taxis would be allowed to ply on the roads He added that the bike taxi policy would generate 20,000 to 25,000 jobs.

However, the policy is yet to be notified as the state government continues to be alarmed over the issue of women’s safety via this mode of last-mile connectivity. Nevertheless, state officials continue to crack the whip on ride-hailing platforms for offering bike taxis in the state.

Last month, Maharashtra transport commissioner’s office reportedly lodged an FIR against Rapido and Uber at Azad Maidan police station for allegedly operating bike taxis illegally.

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