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Time of India
28-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Gujarat High Court takes action against illegal ride-hailing licences for private cars
The Gujarat high court has issued a notice to state authorities concerned over a petition filed by auto rickshaw drivers' unions taking exception to the licences issued to private cars that are not registered as taxis but are used for ride-hailing by aggregators in the city. The Auto Riksha Chalak Welfare Association and Smart City Auto Drivers' Union have sought the court's directions to the transport authorities and the city's regional transport officer not to issue licences to those private vehicles that are not registered as transport vehicles but are used by aggregators like Ola , Uber , Rapido , and Jugnu. The unions have contended that Section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act stipulates that the issuance of a licence to ply a vehicle as a taxi requires the vehicle's registration as a transport vehicle. However, authorities grant licences to aggregators to run unregistered transport vehicles as well. They have urged the HC to direct the authorities "to restrict the grant of licences for use of non-transport vehicles and further restrict the use of non-transport vehicles in the city of Ahmedabad by following the procedure laid down in the Motor Vehicles Act and Rules." The petitioners have contended that allowing such private vehicles to ply on city roads as taxis adds to pollution and traffic problems. In 2020, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued guidelines for the issuance of licences to aggregators. The state govt instructed the commissioner of transport to disallow non-transport vehicles by aggregators on April 16, 2021, and the city's RTO issued a press note to this effect on Sept 22, 2023, stating that carrying passengers in non-transport vehicles is illegal. The RTO issued a show cause notice to Rapido on Jan 4 and suspended its licence for 30 days for violation of this rule.
New Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Took policy decision not to frame rules allowing bike taxis, Karnataka govt tells HC
BENGALURU: The state government on Friday informed the High Court of Karnataka that it has taken a policy decision not to frame rules and guidelines to allow bike taxi services through Ola, Uber and Rapido. Advocate General K Shashikiran Shetty made this submission before a division bench of acting Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice Sreenivas Harish Kumar. 'As a policy, we do not want to frame rules for operation of bike taxis' and only eight states have permitted bike taxis in the country. The court was hearing the appeals filed by Uber India Systems Pvt Ltd, ANI Technology Pvt Ltd, Varikruti Mahendra Reddy, and others. They offer bike taxi services through Ola, Uber and Rapido. They had appealed against the order passed by a single judge on April 2. The single judge declared that unless the state government notifies guidelines under Section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act and Rules, the petitioners cannot operate as aggregators offering bike taxi services and the transport department cannot issue directions to register motorcycles as transport vehicles or issue contract carriage permits.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
1.5x surge fare cap, spot fine on drivers cancelling rides: State aggregator policy
Mumbai: Drivers of aggregator cabs cancelling rides will have to pay a fine, which, in turn, should be immediately deposited in the account of the rider. Besides, aggregators can give maximum 25% discount and limit surge pricing to 1.5 times the normal fare determined by govt. These are part of the Aggregator Cabs Policy, 2025, cleared and approved by the state cabinet Tuesday. State transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar said at present cabs would sometimes charge 3-5 times the normal fare during peak hours. "Cabs will have to maintain a maximum 1.5 times normal fare as surge price throughout the day and night," he said. "Aggregators will be asked to change the algorithm of their apps to include this new surge price feature". You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The new policy also states that "drivers must be paid at least 80% of the fare amount", a senior official said, adding this will ensure that they get good earnings and do not refuse rides. A set of rules regarding the implementation of the policy will be published. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo Cab aggregators will have to provide an emergency contact facility for passengers, according to the Aggregator Cabs Policy, 2025, cleared and approved by the state cabinet Tuesday. The policy makes background verification of drivers, by police and other agencies, mandatory. Also, "cabs should maintain the highest safety and trust for women passengers during travel. Only women drivers or women co-passengers are allowed for ride-sharing. The protection of women passengers' privacy should be an important feature of the app". State transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar said that in the existing system, riders would pay a fine if they cancelled bookings. "Now drivers too cannot refuse passengers, even for short distances and they will be fined instantly. The amount will reflect in the rider's account within seconds," he said. The transport department will issue directions to cab aggregators like Uber and Ola to include driver cancellation fine in the app. Aggregator cab company officials were not available for comment. Following the Supreme Court's directives, a committee led by Sudhir Kumar Srivastava was formed to draft the policy. The policy has been implemented in the state in line with the committee's report and provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and Rules, an official said. Vehicle owners must comply with various safety measures to ensure passenger safety. For women choosing ride pooling, only women drivers and co-passengers will be allowed for safety reasons. Bhimanwar said that there are ratings given by riders for every trip, and this indicates whether the driver is good or bad. "If the rating of a driver is less than 2 (on a scale of 5), then the driver will have to compulsorily attend training camp for a few days at a special dedicated training centre," he added. The policy also speaks about welfare of driver's families and medical insurance, among other features.
