Pune Collector Jitendra Dudi on Thursday directed Rapido to immediately stop its two-wheeler bike taxi pilot in the city, saying the service had started without a licence. The administration said legal action would begin on Friday if the company did not comply, and that the service would not be allowed to resume until Rapido obtains the required licence.
“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. The order followed a meeting between the Collector, representatives of auto-rickshaw and cab driver unions, and transport aggregators.
The administration also directed cab aggregators operating in Pune to submit monthly fare data to the district administration. Companies have been asked to display Regional Transport Authority-approved fares in a separate column on their applications so passengers can compare the prescribed rates with the fares being charged.
Dudi said the action followed complaints from auto-rickshaw and cab drivers that aggregators were not complying with existing fare rules. Under the applicable norms, drivers must receive 80 per cent of the RTA base fare, while the permitted passenger fare can range 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 decision places licensing and fare compliance at the centre of Pune’s expanding app-based mobility market. Passengers will be able to view the RTA-approved fares separately on aggregator applications, while the district administration will use monthly submissions to monitor fare practices and driver payments.
Union representatives at the meeting supported the action against Rapido and sought stricter enforcement. Nitin Pawar, president of the Rickshaw Panchayat, said the state government had given bike taxis a nine-month window to transition to electric vehicles. He said a resolution on the issue could come before the Pune RTA in line with government directives, but argued that the authority should not grant permission for bike taxis in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad because of traffic conditions in the two urban areas.
Dr Keshav Kshirsagar, president of the Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha, called for all police stations to be informed about government-mandated meter fares. He said violations affecting passengers and drivers could lead to financial exploitation and recurring law-and-order problems.
Kshirsagar also warned that auto-rickshaw and cab driver unions in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad could unite to stage a protest if companies failed to follow the government’s directives. For now, Rapido’s two-wheeler pilot remains halted until the company obtains a licence, while aggregators are required to begin monthly fare reporting to the district administration.
