Pune’s regional transport office has filed an FIR against Roppen Transport Services Private Limited, the operator of Rapido, alleging that the company continued bike-taxi operations in the city without approval and used petrol-powered non-transport motorcycles for passenger services.
The FIR, registered as number 0517/2026 at Vishrantwadi police station at about 11.45pm on Friday, followed a direction from Pune collector Jitendra Dudi, who heads the regional transport authority, asking Rapido to stop its bike-taxi service within a day. An RTO official told the Times of India that the service was still operating after the deadline, prompting the complaint.
The complaint was filed by RTO inspector Prasad Survase. It cites Section 318(8) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Sections 66, 93, 192(A), 193 and 197 of the Motor Vehicles Act, and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act. The RTO alleged that the use of non-transport two-wheelers for passenger journeys bypassed regulatory requirements and raised concerns over passenger safety.
The enforcement action followed a ride booked through the Rapido application at around 6.44pm on October 16. According to the FIR, the booking was for a journey from Commerce Zone in Yerwada to Kothrud bus depot. The application showed a distance of 13 km and a fare of Rs 179. A petrol-powered motorcycle arrived for the pickup, after which the inspector and his team questioned the rider, confiscated the vehicle and issued a challan under provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. The vehicle was then taken to Vishrantwadi police station.
The RTO said the bike-taxi option continued to appear on Rapido’s platform despite the direction to stop operations. A company spokesperson was sent a copy of the FIR and asked for a response, but a reply was awaited at the time of publication.
The case revives a regulatory dispute that has been active in Pune since 2022. The FIR refers to earlier proceedings in which the RTO stopped bike-taxi operations in December 2022. The Bombay High Court rejected the company’s plea against that decision in January 2023, according to the report.
Pune’s regional transport officer Archana Gaikwad had earlier said that Rapido and Uber had applied to operate bike taxis in the city under the state’s bike-taxi policy. The policy required operators to comply with several conditions, including the use of electric two-wheelers. The applications were pending approval, she said.
At a meeting of the regional transport authority on Thursday, company representatives reportedly told officials that Rapido was operating the service as part of a trial run. The FIR now places that trial operation within a formal enforcement process, while the authorities’ stated concern centres on whether the vehicles, permits and operating approvals met the requirements applicable to passenger transport services.
