NEW DELHI: Delhi government’s transport department will tighten the noose around app-based bike aggregators or motorcycle taxis ferrying passengers in the city. Companies running the bike taxis will be told that they do not have permission to operate and action will be taken if they continue to do so.Transport commissioner Ashish Kundra said on Wednesday, “We will write to all app-based bike aggregators and bike taxis about the matter and will issue notices to them if they continue to operate.” He added that electric motorbikes could be considered in the new policy, but it was still in the drafting stage.Many cab aggregators, including Ola, Uber and Rapido, ply petrol and electric motorcycles in the National Capital Region. These companies did not reply to the mails sent by TOI for their response to the transport department’s step.A transport department official said the main reason behind the department mulling action was for the safety of the passengers. He said, “We are concerned about the safety of the people using this means of transport. We don’t have antecedent records of the drivers and the motorbikes are not registered with us. The two wheelers don’t sport the commercial yellow numberplates.”The official said the transport department was not against the employment opportunities and last mile connectivity served by the bikes, but it had to consider such these services from a safety viewpoint too.The bike taxis are a popular mode of travel thanks to their low charges, easy manoeuvrability and capacity for last-mile connectivity, but being a new concept, several states, like Delhi, are in the process of formulating guidelines for their operations.The legality of the bike taxis first cropped up in Maharashtra and on January 13, Bombay High Court pulled up Rapido for operating without procuring a licence from Maharashtra government and directed it to suspend the services immediately. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined relief to Rapido, which had challenged the high court order. While denying a licence to the company, Maharashtra government pointed out that there was neither a state policy on bike taxis nor a fare structure policy.The transport department gives passenger service vehicle badges to commercial drivers after checking the antecedents of the drivers. Following this, their cars are given the yellow number plates. “From a regulation perspective, responsibility for carrying the passengers has to be fixed,” said another official said. “Not just anyone can apply for start transporting people. What if there is an accident?”
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/govt-to-put-brakes-on-illegal-bike-taxis/articleshow/97808867.cms