Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi has directed aggregators operating unlicensed two-wheeler taxi services, including Rapido, to immediately suspend operations until they obtain valid government licences, warning that non-compliance could lead to legal action.
The directive was issued after a meeting on 15 October to discuss demands and grievances raised by cab and auto-rickshaw drivers in Pune district. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Dudi said aggregator companies must comply strictly with government rules and guidelines.
The order applies to companies operating two-wheeler taxi services on a pilot basis without the requisite legal permission. Such services have been instructed to stop until the aggregators secure valid licences from the government. The administration did not announce a separate deadline for obtaining the licences in the directions reported by Punekar News.
The district administration has also issued instructions covering drivers’ share of fares, pricing limits and the disclosure of fare calculations. Aggregator companies must ensure that drivers receive at least 80% of the total fare collected for a trip.
The administration has further directed that fares remain within the prescribed range of minus 25% to plus 50% of the base fare fixed by the Regional Transport Authority, or RTA. This places the RTA-approved base fare at the centre of the pricing rules that aggregators must follow in Pune.
To improve oversight, companies will be required to submit fare-related data to the administration every month. They have also been directed to add a separate column in their mobile applications showing the fares prescribed by the RTA.
The proposed fare display is intended to allow passengers to compare the applicable RTA rates with the fares charged by aggregators. It also gives the administration a regular mechanism to review pricing data and check whether companies are complying with the prescribed range.
The directions come as app-based mobility services operate within a regulatory framework involving licensing, fare controls and driver conditions. For passengers, the immediate effect concerns the availability of two-wheeler taxi services operated without valid government permission. For drivers, the directions establish an 80% minimum share of the total fare under the administration’s stated rules.
The Collector’s position is that aggregators cannot continue operating two-wheeler taxi services without the necessary legal approval. Companies that fail to suspend unlicensed operations or comply with the fare and reporting directions may face legal action, according to the administration’s warning.
