Pune district administration has directed Rapido to suspend its bike-taxi service until it receives government permission, while Ola, Uber, Rapido and autorickshaw and cab operators have been told to charge passengers only according to approved fare rates.
The directions were issued by District Collector Jitendra Dudi during a Regional Transport Authority meeting held against the backdrop of complaints concerning the app-based transport companies. The meeting was attended by Regional Transport Officer Archana Gaikwad, Deputy Regional Transport Officers Swapnil Bhosale and Rahul Jadhav, Pimpri-Chinchwad Traffic Deputy Commissioner Vikrant Deshmukh, representatives of autorickshaw and cab unions, and representatives of Ola, Uber and Rapido.
Dudi said Rapido’s bike-taxi service had not yet received government permission and therefore had to be stopped immediately until approval was granted. He also instructed aggregators and autorickshaw and cab drivers to charge fares in line with government-approved rates.
The administration has asked Ola, Uber and Rapido to submit complete details of trips undertaken and fares charged during the current month to the transport authority by November 10. The information will be used to verify whether the companies are complying with applicable rules, according to the report. Police stations will also be instructed to enforce government meter rates, Dudi said.
The order places the operation of app-based mobility services within Pune’s existing transport regulatory framework. The Regional Transport Authority is responsible for determining autorickshaw fares, while the district administration has now sought trip and fare data from the platforms to examine how prices charged through their applications compare with approved rates.
Nitin Pawar, president of the Rickshaw Panchayat, said bike taxis should not be permitted in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. He alleged that aggregator platforms were charging fares different from those fixed by the transport authority and described this as interference with the regulator’s authority. His comments were reported in the context of the unions’ demand for enforcement of government-approved fares.
Dr Keshav Kshirsagar, president of the Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha, said passenger and driver losses resulting from violations of government fares should not be tolerated. Dr Baba Kamble, president of the Maharashtra Rickshaw Panchayat, called for action against companies that repeatedly violate administrative orders and transport rules.
Autorickshaw unions have warned of an intensified protest if the directions are not implemented. The next immediate administrative milestone is the November 10 deadline for the three platforms to submit their current-month trip and fare data to the transport authority.
