Pune Collector Orders Rapido To Halt Bike Taxi Service

Pune: Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi has directed Rapido to immediately suspend its two-wheeler aggregator operations in Pune until it obtains the required licence from the government and the RTO. He warned that legal action would be initiated if the company continued operating without authorisation. The directive came during a meeting with cab and autorickshaw aggregators following complaints from drivers alleging violations of existing regulations.

Dudi said, “Rapido has started operating two-wheelers on a pilot basis without a licence. We have instructed the company to stop these operations immediately from today. If it continues, legal action will be taken. Until the licence is granted, a company cannot operate a two-wheeler aggregator service.”

He clarified that the meeting did not result in any new policy decision but focused on enforcing existing rules governing aggregator services. The meeting was convened after cab and autorickshaw drivers submitted complaints alleging that aggregators were not complying with prescribed regulations.

Dudi said aggregators had been directed to share monthly data on driver payments and fares with the authorities to ensure accountability.

He said, “Under the existing rules, aggregators must pay 80% of the earnings to drivers. Fares must remain within the prescribed range of 25% below to 50% above the base rate. Aggregators have been instructed to share the relevant data with us every month.”

The disclosures are intended to address complaints that drivers were not receiving their stipulated share and that passengers were being charged fares outside the permitted range.

Dudi said aggregators had also been instructed to introduce an additional column in their mobile applications displaying RTO-prescribed fares, similar to the fare charts displayed in autorickshaws. The measure aims to improve fare transparency and ensure compliance with existing regulations.