Maharashtra state government likely to approve bike taxis 

App-based aggregators would require a fleet of at least 50 two-wheelers, for which a registration fee of Rs 1 lakh will be charged.

26 June 2024

Pune- The Maharashtra government led by Eknath Shinde has approved the operation of bike taxis in urban areas, including Mumbai and other cities. This decision is good news for transport companies like Rapido, Ola, and Uber. According to the draft rules, app-based aggregators will need a fleet of at least 50 two-wheelers and a registration fee of Rs 1 lakh will be charged. For aggregators with a fleet of over 10,000, the fee would rise to Rs 5 lakh. The draft rules also include the following provisions:

1. Bike taxis will be allowed to operate within a radius of 10 km in Mumbai and 5 km in other cities.

2. All the bikes must be GPS-enabled.

3. Registration and basic training of bike pilots will be mandatory for the aggregators.

State Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar has stated that the government will issue a notification with further details soon. This initiative is aimed at providing a convenient app-based fleet service for passengers and will also help reduce traffic in urban areas. According to the state government’s vehicle registration data, Mumbai has 2.8 million two-wheelers, including 60,000 scooters.

The decision to approve bike taxis was taken in a recent meeting by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, following the state transport department’s advice that implementing the central government’s policy on bike taxis, rolled out in 2022, was necessary. The state government was tasked with framing rules and issuing the required licenses after the central government approved the plan two years ago.

However, this decision has faced opposition from auto rickshaws and taxi unions for various reasons, including concerns about safety, lack of operational control, and the absence of verified driver credentials and character checks.