E-Paper
RTO to take action against bike taxis till state govt legalises them
As per the information shared by the Pune RTO, there have been many complaints against illegally-running, app-based bike taxis across the city
While auto-rickshaw unions have called an indefinite strike from Monday against the illegal bike taxis running in the city, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) will continue to take action against these vehicles till such time they are given legal sanction by the state transport department. Whereas the state transport department is taking steps to make necessary changes in regulations and give permits to these bike taxis even as there is strong opposition from auto unions as these bike taxis are eating into their business.
State transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar said, “In the country, there are several states where bike taxis have been given legal permission. In Maharashtra too, operating companies have submitted the proposal to the state government. But as there is no decision taken over it yet, we will continue to take action against illegal taxis. There are many things to be discussed as earlier, proposals were submitted for rent-a-taxi and two-wheeler bikes that are used for the delivery of food among other things however the bike permit had to be converted in the commercial transport vehicle category.”
“Once the state government gives its nod to the proposal, our department will work accordingly to legalise bike taxis. Till then however, all RTOs in the state and our officials will take strict action as per the Motor Vehicles Act against the illegally-running bike taxis,” Bhimanwar said.
As per the information shared by the Pune RTO, there have been many complaints against illegally-running, app-based bike taxis across the city. Despite repeated warnings and action taken earlier, two-wheeler bike taxis are still found running across the city. Recently, the Pune RTO had lodged an FIR against the Rapido bike taxi company (mobile app) at Bund garden police station.
