New Delhi: The Kejriwal government has taken its case to the Supreme Court, contesting the Delhi High Court's interim order that suspended the Transport Department's notification to halt bike taxi services provided by ride-sharing platforms in the national capital. A vacation bench comprising Justice Aniruddha Bise and Justice Rajesh Bindal has set the matter for hearing on June 7 following a request for urgent listing made by Delhi government lawyers Manish Vashisht and Jyoti Mendiratta.
In its appeal to the top court, the Kejriwal government is challenging the May 26 order of the Delhi High Court, which allowed ride-sharing platforms to continue their commercial operations in the city and act as aggregators for non-transport two-wheelers. The Delhi government contends that this violates the Motor Vehicles Act and the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020, as valid permits were not obtained for ride pooling.
Uber, Rapido continue non-transport vehicle usage despite HC order
The Delhi government highlights that, in light of the High Court's interim order, ride-sharing platforms such as Uber and Rapido are still utilizing non-transport vehicles, including two-wheelers, for aggregation purposes. It argues that ride pooling without valid permits is impermissible under existing regulations.
According to the Delhi government, it has already prepared the Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator Scheme, 2023, which is currently awaiting approval from the competent authority. The government asserts that bike taxi service operators must register themselves, fulfill specified conditions, and apply for permits to continue their operations lawfully.
Compliance with safety measures
The Delhi government emphasizes that certain conditions must be met for bike taxi services to operate, including police verification, installation of GPS devices, and panic buttons to ensure the safety of both passengers and road users. Failure to comply with these measures, among others, renders the operation of bike taxi services impermissible, as stated by the Delhi government.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
