Auto rickshaw unions protest today against e-bike taxis

MUMBAI: Auto rickshaw unions protest against e-bike taxi approval, claiming it threatens livelihoods of 15 lakh drivers. Demands for policy rollback are strong.

MUMBAI: It is possible you might find fewer auto rickshaws on roads today as auto rickshaw unions across Mumbai and Maharashtra will be protesting outside Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) against the government’s recent decision to approve e-bike taxi operations.

Auto Rickshaw stand near Station, Sahar Road at Andheri East. Representative picure. (HT Archives)

In the city, the Mumbai Auto Rickshaw Taximen’s Union announced a protest at the Andheri RTO office at 11am on Wednesday. Simultaneous demonstrations are planned at RTOs across Konkan, Vidarbha, Western Maharashtra, and Marathwada as part of a coordinated agitation.

“Even before e-bike taxis were approved, regular bikes were operating as taxis. There will be no control of them, which will be a major safety issue for passengers. This will also impact 15 lakh auto rickshaw drivers and their families across the state. We want the government to withdraw their decision to approve e-bike taxis,” said union leader Shashank Sharad Rao.

Following a cabinet meeting last month, the Maharashtra government approved the transport department’s proposal to permit the operation of e-bike taxis. The move is being positioned by the government as a way to promote green mobility and generate employment for the youth through self-employment.

The unions opposing the move call it “unilateral” and “unjust” as it endangers the livelihoods of auto-rickshaw drivers. “This approval was granted without consulting any of the existing unions. It’s not just unfair, it’s a threat to our daily survival,” said a member of the Joint Action Committee of Auto Rickshaw Driver-Owner Associations of Maharashtra.

There are over 4 lakh autos in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and 12 lakh in Maharashtra. Union leaders argue that the entry of e-bikes into the passenger transport market in the state could destabilize the fragile income of rickshaw drivers, who are already burdened by rising fuel prices and inflation. They are demanding the immediate rollback of the e-bike taxi policy and have urged the state government to hold discussions with all stakeholders before implementing such transformative measures.