Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik has exposed the illegal operation of bike taxis in Mumbai by personally booking a ride through the Rapido app – contradicting his own department’s claims that such services were not running.
The transport minister said he received an “official” assurance from a senior transport department official that bike taxis were not operating illegally in the city. But to verify the claim, he carried out a check himself.
“I booked a ride from Mantralaya to Dadar using a different name,” Sarnaik told reporters. “Within 10 minutes, a rider showed up outside Babu Genu Junction.”
The app had quoted a fare of ₹195 for the journey. When the biker from the Rapido arrived, Sarnaik revealed his identity and informed the rider that such services were not permitted in Mumbai.
“I am the transport minister. These rules are made for your own protection,” he told the rider, who appeared surprised. He then offered the man ₹500 as a goodwill gesture, saying, “You came here, that’s why I’m giving you this.” The rider, however, refused to accept the money.
No legal action was taken against the biker. “Filing a case against someone like you won’t help,” Sarnaik told him. “Our real focus is on taking action against those running these illegal operations.”
The Maharashtra government has not yet granted official permission to any app-based bike taxi aggregator. Under the newly introduced e-bike policy, companies are only allowed to run services in cities with populations over one lakh if they meet specific regulatory conditions. However, those rules have not yet been officially notified, which technically makes all such operations illegal for now.
Last month, the Transport Commissioner’s office filed an FIR against Rapido and Uber at the Azad Maidan police station for allegedly operating bike taxis without authorisation.
A proposal to revise certain aspects of the previous regulatory framework is currently under government consideration, according to officials.