Notice Slapped On Ola, Uber For Flouting Bike-Taxi Ban In Delhi

Cracking the whip on ride-hailing apps, New Delhi transport officials have pulled up Uber and Ola for allegedly flouting norms by plying two-wheeler bike taxis in the national capital. 

Transport commissioner Ashish Kundra said that the department, last week, sent warning notices to Uber and Ola and sought clarification on why the two players should not be penalised. The cab aggregators were given a week to respond.

This coincides with the Delhi government publicly banning apps such as Rapido, Uber, and Ola from operating bike taxis in the national capital. Despite the ban, the apps are still operational and bike taxis can still be seen operating in the region.

“There is clearly a violation of the law… For the next few days, we will watch what they do and then consider the next steps including all legal options which we are well within our rights to use,” Kundra told Reuters. 

Meanwhile, the ride-hailing giant Uber has sought a meeting with the officials to discuss the matter.

Describing the rationale behind the ban on two-wheeler taxis, Kundra said that the use of personal vehicles for commercial purposes is not allowed under the law. He added that such services pose safety concerns, as they lack the checks and balances that govern commercial vehicles.

“The rider could be anyone and we have to be mindful of concerns around passenger safety, especially women… Companies cannot ride roughshod over law,” the transport commissioner added.

A Bumpy Ride

Bike taxis have emerged as a popular mode of transport in metro cities, especially for short distances. Their popularity has been largely due to their lower prices and easy manoeuvrability through traffic jams. 

However, while bike taxis have seen mass adoption in urban areas, state governments continue to be sceptical about the safety aspect of such means of transport and the lack of oversight over such apps. 

In Delhi, the transport department grants passenger service vehicle badges to commercial drivers after verification. After the driver is verified, the vehicles receive yellow number plates. It is the lack of this oversight that has made Delhi authorities wary of the emerging bike taxi service.

For now, Delhi has joined the growing list of states and union territories (UTs) that have banned two-wheeler taxis or look to crack the whip on such services. 

Earlier, the Maharashtra government refused to grant an aggregator licence to Rapido. Last year, the Karnataka government banned ride-hailing apps from offering auto services on their platform, citing pricing issues and non-compliance with norms