Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday accused the Mahayuti government of attempting to "kill" Mumbai’s public transport system by granting approvals for app-based bus and bike-taxi services. The Maharashtra State Transport Authority (STA) recently issued provisional licenses to the parent companies of app-based taxi aggregators Ola, Uber, and Rapido to operate bike taxi services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, setting a minimum fare of Rs 15 for 1.5 kilometres.
During a news conference, Thackeray questioned the regulatory framework governing bike taxis, as reported by news agency PTI. “Be it bike taxis or City Flo buses, the BJP and Shiv Sena government is resorting to privatisation. It is killing public transport in Mumbai,” he stated.
"The bike taxi issue is different. During the last assembly session, the Minister set rates for Rapido, which also sponsored his son’s program within a month. While licenses were granted to Rapido, Ola, and Uber, bike taxis can operate in many countries. But in Mumbai, where public transport is already well-developed, one bike per person isn’t practical," he mentioned, as reported by news agency IANS.
The former minister called on the government to extend the same enthusiasm and financial support to BEST buses that it has shown for bike taxi services. He also criticised state Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik’s earlier move of exposing illegal bike taxis by booking a ride through the Rapido app in July.
Thackeray alleged that Rapido had sponsored an event for a relative of the minister. According to the report, “Rapido has now been granted approval for provisional licences along with two other companies to operate bike taxis,” he added.
In a post on X, Thackeray lamented the decline of Mumbai’s premier public transport service, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, accusing authorities of deliberately "killing" it through fare hikes. “Private bus operators are now flooding the city, while the BEST is being killed by abnormal fare hikes, reduction in bus fleet numbers and sale of bus depots,” he wrote.
He further claimed, “Basically, the BJP government, by destroying Mumbai's roads and traffic and making public transport inaccessible and costly, is ensuring that Mumbai's economic strength is broken," as reported.
