The Maharashtra government is considering fresh curbs on bike taxi drivers operating across multiple aggregator platforms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido as part of a broader regulatory push to tighten oversight of the sector and improve passenger safety.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the proposal was discussed during a review meeting of the state’s transport department, attended by transport minister Pratap Sarnaik, CM advisor Kaustubh Dhavse, additional chief secretary (transport) Sanjay Sethi, cyber crime DIG Yashasvi Yadav, transport commissioner Rajesh Narvekar, and representatives of aggregator platforms.
The report added that the Maharashtra government is drafting a comprehensive policy for bike taxi aggregators with stricter norms for driver verification, vehicle monitoring and passenger safety, amid concerns over riders operating across multiple platforms and frequently switching between apps.
“Passenger safety, driver verification and transparency in the transport system are non-negotiable. Companies must operate only after complying with government rules and conditions. Any violation will invite strict action,” Sarnaik was quoted as saying.
As part of the proposed framework, the state is examining if riders should be allowed to operate for only one aggregator platform in a day to ensure clearer accountability of drivers and vehicles attached to individual companies.
The move comes days after the state government reportedly directed Apple and Google to remove apps such as Ola, Uber and Rapido from their app stores. However, the order was withdrawn within 24 hours.
“We are trying to work around a way to cease bike taxi operations without blocking all standalone ride-hailing apps,” a senior cyber department official told The Indian Express.
Earlier this month, Sarnaik sought an immediate shutdown of bike taxi services operated by Ola, Uber and Rapido, alleging they were operating without valid approvals and violating transport regulations.
He also called for filing FIRs against the companies and flagged concerns around passenger safety, driver verification, insurance coverage and the impact on licensed taxi and autorickshaw drivers.
The ongoing standoff between the Maharashtra government and bike taxi aggregators over alleged violations of state transport rules dates back to 2020, when Rapido launched bike taxi operations in Maharashtra without formal approval from the state government.
Its licence applications were subsequently rejected in 2020 and 2022, while the Bombay High Court in 2023 directed the company to suspend operations in the state for a week.
Maharashtra notified the Maharashtra Bike-Taxi Rules 2025 in July last year, granting provisional 30-day licences to Ola, Uber and Rapido to transition to electric bike taxis.
The rules mandated that only electric two-wheelers painted yellow and marked as bike taxis could operate commercially. However, the platforms allegedly failed to comply, leading the state to revoke their licences in March this year.
Despite the revocation, the platforms continued operations. Enforcement teams detected around 715 Rapido-linked bike taxis, 43 linked to Uber and 18 linked to Ola. Fines worth ₹11.85 Lakh were collected from them.
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