Some terrible news for Delhi residents who rely on Uber, Ola, and Rapido bike taxis to get about. The transportation department has outright prohibited these services. According to the Motor Vehicle Act, the companies have been breaking the regulations by utilising bikes with private registrations to transport passengers, which is a massive no-no.
Details about the Delhi government has banned Ola, Uber, and Rapido bike taxis
The transport department’s notification cautions that if any of the ride-sharing businesses continue to provide bike taxi services in Delhi, they will be fined Rs 5,000 for the first offence and Rs 10,000 plus jail term for any consecutive offence. In addition, the drivers’ licences will be suspended for three years. Ouch!
But it’s not just the riders who are at danger. If the ride-sharing companies allow bike taxis to operate in the city, they could face a Rs 1 lakh fine.
This isn’t the first time these bike taxis have gotten into trouble. Rapido was operating without a legal licence, according to the Supreme Court. In addition, the Maharashtra government declined to provide permits to Rapido’s motorbike taxis in January due to a lack of legislative requirements on their licencing, safety, and fare structure.
The Supreme Court of India recently denied Rapido, a bike taxi aggregator, relief from the Maharashtra government’s refusal to give a licence to operate. The Court noted 2019 revisions to the Motor Vehicles Act that specify that a valid licence is required for commercial transportation. This means that Rapido and other similar bike taxi services are currently operating illegally in Maharashtra and are subject to legal consequences.
