The Maharashtra government has tightened the noose around bike taxi services offered by online apps like Ola, Uber and Rapido as the government asserts that bike taxis are not allowed to operate in the state.
In connection with the matter, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik earlier this week ordered the police cybercrime department to shut down unauthorized taxi apps of aggregators like Ola, Uber and Rapido, and register cases against the owners of these companies, PTI reported.
The order was issued, then suspended
The Maharashtra Cyber Department on Friday served notices to Apple and Google ordering the removal of Ola, Uber and Rapido apps from their app stores over illegal taxi operations.
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However, the Indian Express reported that the plan remained on hold till Saturday. The report quoted a senior official as saying that the authorities are looking for an alternative way to stop bike taxi operations while not affecting the cab, cars and other services. “We are trying to find a way to stop bike taxi operations without banning all autonomous bike riding apps,” the official was quoted as saying.
What did the notice say?
“It has been observed that some app-based platforms are operating passenger transport services on a large scale through bike taxi operations without obtaining valid permissions, government approvals or complying with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Ministry of Transport and provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act,” the notice said, according to a report by NDTV.
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“Driver verification mechanisms, insurance protection, women’s safety measures, and emergency response systems have been reported to be largely inadequate. Moreover, the reckless and negligent driving commonly associated with these bike taxi operations creates a huge risk to public safety. Recently, a serious incident came to light where a bike taxi service operating through one of these apps allegedly led to the tragic death of a woman. A criminal case has been registered in this regard and several similar cases have been registered in different parts of Maharashtra,” it said.
What did the Minister of Transport write to the police?
Sarnaik wrote to the Additional Director General of Police (Cyber Crime) and sent a copy to the Director General of Police, saying that many unauthorized taxi services are operating in the state without mandatory permissions.
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The minister was quoted as saying that these apps openly violate government rules while conducting financial transactions, negatively affecting the livelihood of licensed auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers.
Sarnaik added that app-based bikes do not adhere to safety regulations, posing a serious threat to public safety.
He pointed out that there are insufficient guarantees for travelers who use these services, including driver verification, insurance coverage, women’s safety measures, and emergency response systems.
The minister also referred to an accident of an unauthorized bike taxi in Mumbai’s Bandra Link Road area on April 22 in which a woman died.
Sarnaik said unauthorized taxi apps linked to companies like Ola, Uber and Rapido should be shut down immediately and strict legal action taken against the app companies, drivers and operators under the Information Technology Act and the Motor Vehicles Act.
