Just three days ago, we covered the story of a bike-taxi service provider- Rapido. The start-up is the largest bike-taxi service provider in India. Less than a week ago, bike-taxi service provider Rapido, announced their expansion plans for India. The start-up announced that it will enter in the state of Maharashtra, starting its operations in Mumbai. However, transport authorities in Mumbai have now issued a notice to Rapido and asked it to shut its bike-taxi service immediately as the Maharashtra government has not yet given any official permission for the firm to operate their bike-taxis in Mumbai.
Rapido is present in over 100 cities with its 15 lakh rider partners in India. Moreover, by expanding its presence in Maharashtra, Rapido had already hired close to 2,000 Captains (driver-partners) in Mumbai, and the company also revealed their future plans to generate job opportunities for another 2 lakh rider partners over the period of the next 2 years. However, the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Department claimed it has not given any official permission to the company for the bike-taxi service in Mumbai, and the authority claimed the firm’s operations as “illegal”.
The bike-taxi service provider’s vehicles were registered under the Andheri RTO, which has the registration code MH02. The RTO has asked the company to shut its service within a period of seven days, as per the notice sent by authorities, or else action legal actions will be taken against the firm, under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act of India.
Metro cities are heavily populated and the streets of Mumbai, are known for the sluggish traffic. Such bike-taxi start-ups are fast, hassle-free, and easy ways for people to commute throughout the cities. Apart from future plans, Rapido had also announced its special plans for Mumbai, under which, the fares for bike-taxi were fixed at Rs 6 per km. Also, to attract customers, the company promised to provide an introductory offer, under which, customers can enjoy 50 percent off on their first ride.
Apart from this, the start-up had also announced its unique plans to take the tricky pandemic situation. Rapido had formed strict rules for Mumbai operations, under which, the start-up made it compulsory for the rider and pillion to wear masks. The company had also updated its mobile app for all red-zones. Also, the company allows free cancellation if the rider or the customer fails to wear a mask. While all these initiatives are necessary, what’s even more important is, compliance with the laws of India.