Without licence, Rapido told to halt Pune bike taxis

Apart from the action against Rapido’s bike taxi services, Dudi directed cab aggregators to submit monthly fare data to the district administration and display Regional Transport Authority (RTA)-approved fares in a separate column on their apps.

Pune Collector Jitendra Dudi on Thursday directed Rapido to stop its two-wheeler bike taxi pilot in the city with immediate effect, saying the company had begun the service without a licence. The firm will face legal action starting Friday if it does not comply.

“Rapido started its two-wheeler pilot services in the city without a licence. I directed that these services stop today. Otherwise, we will take legal action starting tomorrow,” Dudi said. He said the service would not be allowed to resume until the company obtains a licence.

The order was released after the Collector held a meeting with representatives of auto-rickshaw and cab driver unions and of aggregators.

Apart from the action against Rapido’s bike-taxi services, Dudi directed cab aggregators to submit monthly fare data to the district administration and display Regional Transport Authority (RTA)-approved fares in a separate column on their apps.

Explaining the decision, Dudi said, “Some auto-rickshaw and cab drivers approached me a few days ago, alleging that aggregators operating in Pune were not following the prescribed rules. Under the existing fare norms, drivers must receive 80 per cent of the RTA base fare, while the permitted passenger fare ranges from 50 per cent below the base fare to 1.5 times the base fare.”

“We received complaints that drivers were not being paid according to the prescribed norms and that passengers were being charged beyond the permitted fare range. Aggregators must now submit their fare data every month to ensure accountability,” Dudi said.

The administration also asked the companies to display RTA-approved fares in a separate column on their apps so that passengers can view the prescribed rates.

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Union leaders at the meeting backed the action against Rapido and pressed for tougher steps. Nitin Pawar, president of the Rickshaw Panchayat, said, “The state government granted bike taxis a nine-month window to transition to electric vehicles. A resolution on the issue may come before the Pune RTA in line with government directives. However the RTA should not grant permission for bike taxis, given the chaotic traffic in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.”

Dr Keshav Kshirsagar, president of the Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha, said, “All police stations should be informed of the government-mandated meter fares to prevent recurring law-and-order problems. Financial exploitation of passengers and drivers through the violation of government-mandated fares will not be tolerated,” he said. He warned that if the companies did not follow the government’s directives, all rickshaw and cab driver unions in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad would unite to stage a strong protest.