Maharashtra okays bike taxis in Mumbai, other cities; Rapido, Ola and Uber to get boost —all you need to know

The Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government on Wednesday approved the operation of bike taxis in urban areas, including Mumbai and other cities. The move is expected to bring cheer to ride aggregator platforms such as Rapido, Ola and Uber.

App-based aggregators will be required to pay a registration fee of ₹1 lakh and possess a minimum of 50 two-wheelers in their fleet. The state government's draft rules require that the fee would be ₹5 lakh for aggregators that have a fleet of more than 10,000 vehicles.

In Mumbai, bike taxis will be permitted to operate within a 10 km radius; in other cities, the radius will be 5 km. The draft rules specify that every bike must have GPS capability. For the aggregators, registration and basic training for bike pilots will be required.

According to State Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimankar, additional details about the government's notification should be released shortly. Based on vehicle registration data from the state government, 2.8 million two-wheelers, including 600,000 scooters, are registered in Mumbai. “It will be an app-based fleet service and will prove to be convenient to the passengers,” he said, adding that bike taxis would help reduce traffic in cities.

In a recent meeting, Chief Minister Shinde decided to approve bike taxis after receiving a report from the state transport department stating that it was crucial to carry out the central government's 2022 policy on bike taxis. Two years back, the federal government had approved bike taxis; however, state governments were tasked with establishing regulations and granting licences.

State regulations on bike taxis, according to a transport department official, would help normalise the industry and guarantee the security of its patrons.

“Maharashtra has not yet finalised the aggregator policy and issued the notification, despite which services are being operated by the aggregators. In case of any accident or mishap, the aggregators at present take no responsibility, saying they are just technology partners of the bikers. Our policy will help to regularise them and ensure the safety of the passengers,” the official said. 

Maharashtra would follow Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Karnataka as the thirteenth state to authorise bike taxis.