The Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) has intensified its crackdown on illegal bike taxi services operating across Pune city, taking action against 10 aggregator-linked bike taxis and detaining three of them over the past two days. The enforcement drive comes amid continued concerns over unauthorised bike taxi operations despite an FIR being registered against Roppen Transportation Service Pvt Ltd, the company that operates Rapido, for allegedly running bike taxi services without the necessary permissions. The RTO is now planning to write to the Pune police department, seeking action against mobile applications that continue to facilitate unauthorised bike taxi services. The RTO said that the move is aimed at curbing illegal commercial use of two-wheelers, ensuring compliance with transport regulations, and holding aggregators accountable for services operating without the requisite approvals.
Swapnil Bhosale, deputy regional transport officer, Pune, said, “Over the past two days, we have taken action against 10 bike taxis linked to aggregators, three of which have been detained. Our drive is aimed at identifying two-wheelers being used for commercial passenger transport without the necessary permissions. We are taking action against riders found providing unauthorised bike taxi services. However, enforcement against individual riders alone may not be sufficient if the platforms facilitating these rides continue to operate. We are therefore looking at measures to ensure that the aggregators and applications involved are also held accountable,” Bhosale said.
The FIR against Rapido was registered at Vishrantwadi police station on October 16 following a complaint by Prasad Survase, a motor vehicle inspector with the Pune RTO. The complaint alleged that Roppen Transportation Service Pvt Ltd was facilitating passenger transport through its mobile application using petrol-powered motorcycles registered for private use rather than commercial transport, without the required permissions or authorisation. To verify the alleged violations, an RTO official booked a ride through the Rapido app at around 6.44 pm on October 16, from Commerce zone in Yerawada to Kothrud bus depot; a distance of approximately 13 km for a fare of ₹179.
After a motorcycle arrived at the pickup point about six minutes later, the enforcement team questioned the rider, seized the vehicle, and issued a challan to the driver or owner under the Motor Vehicles Act. The motorcycle was subsequently taken to Vishrantwadi police station. The FIR was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Motor Vehicles Act; and further investigation is underway. The action followed a directive from Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi, who heads the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), asking Rapido to stop its bike taxi operations within a day or face legal action.
{{/usCountry}}After a motorcycle arrived at the pickup point about six minutes later, the enforcement team questioned the rider, seized the vehicle, and issued a challan to the driver or owner under the Motor Vehicles Act. The motorcycle was subsequently taken to Vishrantwadi police station. The FIR was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Motor Vehicles Act; and further investigation is underway. The action followed a directive from Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi, who heads the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), asking Rapido to stop its bike taxi operations within a day or face legal action.
{{/usCountry}}Bhosale said that the RTO plans to approach the Pune police regarding the continued operation of applications allegedly facilitating unauthorised bike taxi services. “We are planning to write to the Pune police department to bring to its notice that these applications continue to operate despite action already having been initiated. When an FIR has been registered over alleged illegal bike taxi operations, the role of the platforms facilitating such services also needs to be examined. Our objective is to ensure that these services comply with the prescribed rules and that unauthorised operations are stopped. We will continue taking action against vehicles found operating illegally and pursue the matter with the appropriate authorities,” he said.
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Rapido allegedly blocks RTO inspectors’ mobile numbers
Rapido has allegedly blocked the mobile numbers of Pune RTO inspectors who were booking rides through its application as customers to identify unauthorised bike taxi services. The inspectors would book rides and take action against the riders when they arrived, if they were found ferrying passengers without the required permissions. The alleged blocking of officials’ numbers has reportedly affected this method of enforcement, prompting the RTO to consider approaching the Pune police department for further action.