Mumbai’s New Bike Taxis For Easy Commute At ₹3 Per Km.

Mumbai Launches New Bike Taxis for Affordable Commute at ₹3 Per Km

Written by: Supriya Kadu

Edited by: Pinky Deshmukh

Last Updated: January 15, 2025

Summary: New bike taxis in Mumbai offer economical travel at ₹3 per kilometer.

Mumbai intends to introduce bike taxis in its major cities to save time and money. The new commute will include safety and licensing requirements. This may encourage vehicle maintenance, and passenger safety, and promote female drivers.

This may reduce traffic, save time, and be cost-effective. Bike taxis are currently accessible in Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai. It is meant for one person and costs as little as Rs 3 per kilometer.

A commuter from another state said, "You can comfortably ride with a small backpack from the airport or railway station. That's so much better, quicker, and cheaper than other transport options."

Ride-hailing platforms like Ola, Uber, and Rapido will soon function under a single regulatory framework, according to announcements made by Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik.

For aggregator vehicles, he has directed the creation of a "complaint mechanism" pertaining to traffic violations, carpooling, passenger safety, and licensing.

The action was taken two years after the Center authorized bike taxis, giving state governments more authority over the creation of regulations and licensing.

However, auto and taxi unions opposed implementation in Maharashtra, citing issues with environmental impact, passenger welfare, and road safety.

Bike taxis, as 'non-transport' vehicles, are exempt from the permission requirements that apply to autorickshaws and normal taxis, which they found particularly troublesome.

After the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) denied Rapido authorization to operate bike taxis in 2022, the company filed a challenge in the Bombay High Court, which dismissed the petition due to the need for adequate licensing and adherence to regulations.

The court ordered aggregators to stop operating bike taxis because there was no state-level policy for two-wheeler taxi services.

In June of last year, under then-chief minister Eknath Shinde, the state government approved bike taxis and finalized a draft framework for licensing, registration, and regulation.