Rapido has been booked in Pune after allegedly operating bike-taxi services without permission from the Regional Transport Authority, bringing renewed attention to how app-based passenger transport is regulated in the city.
The case was registered at Vishrantwadi police station against Ropen Transport Pvt. Ltd., the company operating Rapido, following a complaint by Prasad Survase, a motor vehicle inspector with the Regional Transport Office. The complaint alleges that passengers were being transported on motorcycles despite the absence of the required regulatory approval.
According to information provided by the police, the Regional Transport Authority has not permitted petrol-engine two-wheelers to be used for passenger transport. Despite this, Rapido had developed an application through which passengers could register online for bike-taxi services, the report said.
The complaint was submitted after RTO officials noticed that passenger transport was being conducted through the application. The case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Motor Vehicles Act and the Information Technology Act, according to the report.
The complaint reportedly alleges that operating passenger services without permission amounted to deceiving the government. The provisions invoked in the case will determine the legal framework under which the allegations are examined, while the registration of a case does not establish the company’s guilt.
The action places the focus on the administrative gap between digital transport platforms and the permissions required for vehicles carrying passengers. In this case, the RTO’s complaint alleges that the service was being offered through an online platform even though the relevant authority had not authorised the use of petrol-powered two-wheelers for passenger transport.
For commuters, the issue concerns whether a service available through an application has also received the permissions required under transport rules. For regulators, it involves identifying the operator responsible for the service, the vehicles being used and the legal conditions governing passenger movement on two-wheelers.
The report did not include a response from Rapido to the allegations. The investigation is being conducted by Police Sub-Inspector Raut at Vishrantwadi police station. Further action will depend on the findings of the police investigation and the applicable transport and legal provisions.
