The Centre has opened the door for state governments to allow the usage of non-transport and privately registered bikes for passenger journeys by aggregators akin to Rapido, Ola, and Uber.
Bike taxis on trip hailing platforms have turn out to be a fast-growing phase for the businesses and their clients alike, owing to the cheaper journey prices. Nevertheless, states like Karnataka have banned the operations of motorcycle taxis, following a Excessive Courtroom judgement.
Since bike taxis enable white-plate house owners of bikes to make use of their car for industrial functions, a piece of the transport trade, together with a number of cab and auto riders have been essential of the sector. Safety issues in travelling on a two-wheeler have additionally been raised.
In an announcement on Tuesday, the Ministry of Street Transport and Highways mentioned that the brand new Motor Autos Aggregator Pointers, 2025 are an try to offer a “light-touch” regulatory system whereas attending to problems with security and safety of the person and the welfare of the motive force.
What the rules say
The rules, issued on July 1 mentioned, “The state authorities could enable aggregation of non-transport bikes for journeys by passengers as shared mobility by aggregators, leading to lowered visitors congestion and vehicular air pollution, together with offering,inter alia, reasonably priced passenger mobility, hyperlocal supply, and creating livelihood alternatives”.
It added that state governments are additionally empowered to impose charges on aggregators for the issuance of authorisations allowing non-transport bikes to undertake journeys, on a each day, weekly or fortnightly foundation.
Whereas the rules don’t mandate state governments to just accept bike taxis, it offers them authorized footing to take that decision underneath Part 67(3) of the Motor Autos Act. Permitting for the supply for states to gather charges from aggregators providing this service may additionally act as an incentive for states to green-light bike taxis for the reason that charges may function a possible income stream.
How trip hailing companies reacted
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Trip hailing platforms Rapido and Uber have welcomed the rules, calling for a swift implementation on the state authorities degree.
“By recognising non-transport bikes as a way of shared mobility, the federal government has opened the door to extra reasonably priced transportation choices for tens of millions, particularly in underserved and hyperlocal areas,” Rapido mentioned in an announcement.
“We see this coverage shift as a catalyst for creating lakhs of versatile livelihood alternatives for riders throughout city and rural India, selling shared and low-emission transport in step with India’s local weather commitments and formalising the gig financial system with technology-backed platforms and regulatory help,” it added.
Rapido mentioned that it’ll work with numerous state governments to operationalise the Centre’s pointers and “guarantee accountable onboarding of riders, compliance with security and insurance coverage norms, and well timed contributions as a part of the proposed authorisation framework”.
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Uber mentioned {that a} well timed adoption of the framework by states “will probably be key to making sure uniform implementation and constructing much-needed predictability for all stakeholders”.
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