Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik informed the Legislative Council on Monday that strict action will be taken against companies violating transport norms
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The Maharashtra government has cancelled the provisional licences of several bike taxi service providers operating in Mumbai and surrounding areas after finding that they were running services without complying with the prescribed regulations. Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik informed the Legislative Council on Monday that strict action will be taken against companies violating transport norms.
The action comes amid increasing scrutiny of bike taxi operators in the state and concerns about compliance with safety regulations and licensing requirements.
Government cancels provisional licences for non-compliance
Responding to a calling attention motion raised by MLC Sunil Shinde under Rule 93, Sarnaik said that the provisional licences issued to certain companies had been cancelled after authorities found irregularities in their operations.
The companies whose provisional permissions were withdrawn include Uber India Systems Pvt. Ltd., Roppen Transportation Services Pvt. Ltd. and ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
According to the minister, cases have been registered against firms that allegedly failed to follow the prescribed norms while operating bike taxi services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Maharashtra introduced dedicated policy for e-bike taxis
Sarnaik said that the state government had formulated a dedicated policy to regulate bike taxi services in line with the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020 issued by the central government.
Based on these guidelines, the Maharashtra cabinet approved a comprehensive framework on August 7, 2024, allowing the introduction of bike taxi services in cities with populations exceeding one lakh.
Following the cabinet decision, the government notified the Maharashtra E-Bike Taxi Rules 2024, which established strict operational requirements for bike taxi services in the state.
One of the key provisions of the policy mandates that all bike taxis must be fully electric vehicles, aimed at promoting environmentally sustainable transport solutions.
Companies given temporary licences to meet requirements
Under the new policy framework, companies were initially granted provisional licences for a period of 30 days to begin operations while completing the necessary regulatory formalities.
During this period, operators were expected to fulfil conditions related to vehicle registration, safety compliance and licensing procedures before receiving permanent approval.
However, authorities found that some companies began operating services without completing the mandatory requirements, prompting the transport department to intervene.
Complaints over accidents and safety concerns
The minister also noted that several complaints had been received from different areas regarding accidents involving bike taxi riders.
Concerns related to women’s safety were also raised by residents and lawmakers, prompting authorities to examine the operations of bike taxi platforms more closely.
In response to these complaints, the transport department issued notices to the companies concerned and filed police complaints in certain cases where violations were detected.
Enforcement action against illegal bike taxi operations
The transport department has directed all Regional and Sub-Regional Transport Offices across Maharashtra to take strict action against illegally operating bike taxi vehicles.
Enforcement teams have been carrying out inspections and imposing penalties on vehicles found violating the rules.
According to Sarnaik, since April 2024 authorities have taken action against 130 two-wheelers operating illegally as bike taxis and have collected fines exceeding Rs 33 lakh.
The minister said the government is committed to ensuring that bike taxi services operate strictly within the legal framework and meet required safety standards.
He added that any violations of transport regulations will attract strict action, as the state aims to maintain a safe and regulated urban transport ecosystem.
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