Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi has directed Rapido to stop its bike-taxi service until the company receives government permission, while Ola, Uber, Rapido and autorickshaw and cab operators have been told to charge only government-approved fares.
The directions were issued during a Regional Transport Authority meeting held after complaints were received about the app-based transport companies. Representatives of the Regional Transport Office, Pimpri-Chinchwad transport authorities, traffic police, autorickshaw and cab associations, and Ola, Uber and Rapido attended the meeting.
Dudi said Rapido’s bike-taxi service had not yet received government approval and therefore should be stopped immediately until permission is granted. He also directed aggregators and autorickshaw and cab operators to follow the fares approved by the government.
The decision places the regulatory status of app-based bike taxis at the centre of Pune’s urban transport system. Unlike conventional autorickshaws and cabs operating under transport regulations, Rapido’s bike-taxi service has been specifically identified by the district administration as operating without the required government permission, according to the report of the meeting.
The three companies have also been instructed to submit complete information on trips conducted and fares charged during the current month to the RTA by 10 November. The information will be examined to determine whether the companies are complying with applicable rules, the administration said.
The district administration further said that all police stations would be instructed to ensure implementation of government meter fares. The direction applies to autorickshaws and other regulated transport services and is intended to bring app-based fare collection within the approved fare framework.
The action follows complaints concerning the companies’ operations and pricing. Autorickshaw organisations have warned of a strong protest if the directions are not implemented. Nitin Pawar, president of the Rickshaw Panchayat, said bike taxis should not be permitted in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad and argued that the RTA has authority over autorickshaw fares.
Pawar alleged that aggregators were charging fares through their applications that differed from regulated rates. Keshav Kshirsagar, president of the Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha, said passenger and driver financial losses resulting from violations of government fares would not be accepted and warned that autorickshaw and cab unions could join a protest.
Baba Kamble, president of the Maharashtra Rickshaw Panchayat, alleged that large app-based companies were exploiting autorickshaw and taxi drivers and called for action against companies that repeatedly violate regulations. These comments represent the position of the transport unions cited in the report.
The immediate administrative steps are Rapido’s suspension of bike-taxi operations until approval is obtained, the submission of trip and fare data by Ola, Uber and Rapido by 10 November, and police-level enforcement of government-approved meter fares. The RTA’s verification of the companies’ records will determine the next stage of regulatory action.
