A recent nationwide survey found strong public support for stricter regulations to curb arbitrary cancellations by app-based taxi drivers, with 76% of respondents favouring penalties for drivers who cancel confirmed bookings, similar to Maharashtra’s new aggregator policy.
Under the Maharashtra Aggregator Cabs Policy 2025, drivers who cancel a confirmed ride without a valid reason must pay a penalty of 10% of the fare or ₹100, whichever is lower, with the amount credited to the passenger. For trips to airports, railway stations and hospitals, the penalty increases to 50% of the fare; while the policy also caps surge pricing at 1.5 times the base fare; and mandates grievance redressal mechanisms.
The survey was conducted between June and July 2026 by LocalCircles India Pvt Ltd – India’s leading community social media platform that enables citizens and small businesses to escalate issues for policy and enforcement interventions – and received over 22,000 responses from users across 288 districts in India.
The survey comes amid growing dissatisfaction among commuters over last-minute cancellation of rides, refusal by drivers to accept digital payments, reluctance to travel to certain destinations, and cancellation charges imposed on passengers. The findings suggest that effective enforcement of Maharashtra aggregator policy-like measures could improve ride reliability, enhance passenger confidence, and encourage other states to adopt similar consumer protection measures in the rapidly expanding app-based mobility sector.
{{/usCountry}}The survey comes amid growing dissatisfaction among commuters over last-minute cancellation of rides, refusal by drivers to accept digital payments, reluctance to travel to certain destinations, and cancellation charges imposed on passengers. The findings suggest that effective enforcement of Maharashtra aggregator policy-like measures could improve ride reliability, enhance passenger confidence, and encourage other states to adopt similar consumer protection measures in the rapidly expanding app-based mobility sector.
{{/usCountry}}Sachin Taparia, founder of LocalCircles, said, “We are planning to escalate this to the chief secretaries of all major states so that they can implement similar regulations. Maharashtra has taken a significant step towards making app-based taxi services more accountable, and we hope that other states will adopt comparable measures to improve consumer protection and ride reliability”.
Passengers welcomed the findings and called for stricter enforcement. “I have missed important appointments because drivers cancelled rides at the last minute. A financial penalty will make drivers think twice before cancelling confirmed bookings,” said Anita Rengale, a regular app-based taxi user from Pune.
Another commuter, Rahul Sharma, who frequently travels for work, said, “Ride cancellations are most stressful when travelling to the airport or railway station. If more states introduce rules similar to those in Maharashtra and ensure proper enforcement, passengers will have greater confidence while booking app-based taxis”.