Pune RTA Rejects Rapido’s Application For Bike Taxi License, Appeals People Not To Use Service
Pune, 22nd December 2022: According to the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Rules, the Roppen Transportation Services Pvt. Ltd. (Rapido) application for aggregator licenses (two-wheeler and three-wheeler taxis) was rejected in the Regional Transport Authority meeting presided over by Pune District Collector Dr Rajesh Deshmukh.
The central government issued guidelines on 27th November 2020, regarding the issuance of the aggregate license. The application of Rapido for getting a license for two-wheeler and three-wheeler aggregate was received by Regional Transport Office (RTO) Pune on 16th March 2022. Since there were errors in the documents submitted by the applicant and the applicant did not rectify them within the prescribed time limit, the Regional Transport Authority Pune rejected it.
After that, the case was filed in the Bombay High Court in May. On 29th November, the High Court ordered reconsideration of the application for an aggregator license. Against this background, Roppen Transportation re-submitted the application for aggregator licenses for two-wheeler and three-wheeler taxis on 30th November 2022.
According to officials, Roppen Transportation Services was given ample opportunity to correct the errors. Also, in Maharashtra, the government or the state transport authority has not yet implemented any bike taxi scheme, and no bike taxi license has been issued. Also, there is no fare collection policy for bike taxis.
In this background, due to non-fulfilment of legal requirements by the applicant and due to errors in the documents, their application for granting an aggregate license for two-wheeler taxis and three-wheeler taxis has been rejected by the Regional Transport Authority Pune as per the decision of the meeting held on 21st December, Regional Transport Authority Pune has informed.
Rapido spokesperson in a statement said, “We are in receipt of the order by the Pune RTO and are currently exploring all options, including legal, to contest this arbitrary order. Our actions are guided by the vision of providing millions of Pune commuters a convenient, efficient and cost-effective method of getting around, and importantly, the livelihoods of 57,000 Rapido Captains and their families. If any coercive action is taken against us on ground, it would amount to an overreach on the part of the Pune RTO and interference with a protective order in force granted by the Honorable Court.”
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