Bike Taxi

Rolled out first in Bengaluru, Uber has plans to scale it up in other top cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad

Delhi Metro passengers can now book bike taxi rides through the DMRC Momentum application without juggling between multiple platforms, an official statement said on Monday. The service, which was introduced on Monday, includes two options -- SHERYDS for women, by women, and RYDR, available to all commuters, according to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The facility has been presently made available from 12 metro stations -- Dwarka Sec-21, Dwarka Sec-10, Dwarka Sec-14, Dwarka Mor, Janakpuri West, Uttam Nagar East, Rajouri Garden, Subhash Nagar, Kirti Nagar, Karol Bagh, Millennium City Centre Gurugram and Palam. The service, introduced as a new feature on the existing DMRC Momentum application, is being implemented in partnership with the First And Last Mile Connectivity India Pvt. Ltd., the release said. A total of 50 SHERYDS and 150 RYDR will be operating from these stations in a radius of around three-five kilometres between 8 am and 9 pm, it said. Subsequently, over 100

Rapido, which originally started as a bike-taxi service, has grown to include cabs and auto-rickshaws in its offerings. It has also expanded its footprint to 100 new cities across India

According to Entrackr's estimates, the company raised the funding at a post-money valuation of Rs 8,517 crore or a little over $1 billion

Rapido, India's foremost commute app, on Monday said it pledges to provide free bike taxi, auto and cab rides to voters across Hyderabad and also Karimnagar, Khammam and Warangal on May 13, the polling day. Rapido is joining hands with the office of the Chief Electoral Officer to further encourage people to vote in the biggest festival of democracy. To that end, Rapido organised an event to raise voter awareness at the Lal Bahadur Shastri (LB) Stadium here in which was graced by the presence of Vikas Raj, CEO. On election day, voters can avail free rides on the Rapido app using the code 'VOTENOW' and get a free ride to exercise their democratic right. The initiative aims to facilitate residents' voting rights and ensure a more inclusive electoral process, the release said. This concerted effort aligns with Rapido's nationwide campaign, deploying over 10 lakh captains across more than 100 cities to provide free rides on election day, it further said. Rapido's Co-founder Pavan ...

Rapido pointed out that recent order issued by the state government does not mention banning Rapido or any other aggregator operating under the protection of the high court order

Karnataka Government has banned operation of electric bike taxi services in the state after they were found to be "unsafe for women" and being carried out in violation of Motor Vehicles Act. A government order notified that the 2021 Karnataka Electric Bike Taxi Scheme has now been withdrawn. It has come to our notice that certain private app-based firms are violating the Motor Vehicles Act and its rules and running illegal non-transport two-wheelers as the transport vehicles, it said. It also said there were often clashes between the owners and drivers of auto rickshaws and "maxi cabs" with the bike riders and cases were also registered. The scheme also made it difficult for the transport department to collect taxes. Further, to maintain law and order and keeping in mind the safety of women travelling on two-wheeler bike taxis, the government has cancelled the scheme, the notification stated. President of the Ola Uber Drivers and Owners Association, Tanveer Pasha, welcomed the ..

On the legal status of 'bike taxi', the road transport ministry has clarified that motorcycles fall within the definition of 'contract carriage' as per the Motors Vehicles Act, 1988. A contract carriage, according to the MV Act, is a vehicle carrying passengers for hire under a specific agreement. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), in an advisory to states, said that it has been brought to its notice that certain states/UTs are, while processing applications for grant of permits, taking the view that 'motorcycle' is not eligible to ply under contract carriage or operate as a transport vehicle. "It is clarified that as per section 2(28) of the MV Act, vehicles having less than four wheels fitted with an engine capacity exceeding 25cc are also included within the definition of motor vehicles. Hence, 'motorcycles' shall fall within the ambit of Section 2(7) of the Act," the advisory notification said. The contract carriage agreement involves renting an entire vehicle

This move now allows motorcycles to operate legally as contract carriages in India, potentially opening up new transportation options and income opportunities

Bike-taxi service provider launches new segment with subscription model for driver partners

Delhi's bike taxi drivers have written to the Lt Governor and the AAP government, saying nearly 50,000 of them have been rendered jobless due to the approval of a scheme that mandates aggregators offering passenger services to switch to electric two-wheelers. The file pertaining to the Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme, 2023 was approved by Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena. The policy is likely to be notified soon. The Apna Bike Taxi Association, in an open letter to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and the Delhi government, said it has appealed to the authorities several times to get its grievances addressed but the pleas have not been heard. "We feel that the government should understand that if someone is riding a petrol motorcycle, how can they suddenly get an electric bike. Neither are there electric bike taxis available in the market nor do we have the money to buy them," the letter read. Last month, more than 1,500 bike taxi drivers had written to

Though the main goal of the policy is to curtail air pollution by promoting electric vehicles (EVs), there are some apprehensions

More than 1,500 bike taxi drivers have written to Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena demanding that they be given the same timeline for conversion to electric vehicles as their counterparts in delivery services. The letter came a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal approved a scheme for the regulation and licensing of aggregators providing passenger transport services and delivery service providers in the national capital. The scheme also paves the way for bike taxis and mandates that the aggregators should on board electric two-wheelers for passenger services. The file pertaining to the Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme 2023 has been submitted to the lieutenant governor's office, according to an official statement. According to the letter written by the drivers, "The scheme essentially states that only electric bike taxis would be allowed to run in Delhi and bike taxis of other fuel types would become illegal to operate. By notifying

A group of 40 bike taxi drivers have sought Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot's intervention against any enforcement or action by the city government against them. The Delhi government launched a crackdown against bike taxis in February. In a memorandum submitted to Gahlot's office, the group said the Delhi government is adamant about banning their services. "We will face difficulties in meeting household expenses, getting our children educated and getting our parents treated," read the memorandum. The memorandum also said that while the delivery services continued unabated, the bike taxi drivers were being "targeted". The Supreme Court had on Monday stayed a Delhi High Court order that essentially allowed Rapido and Uber to operate in the national capital by asking the Delhi government not to take any coercive action against them till a new policy was formulated. A vacation bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal at the Supreme Court granted liberty to the two .

A section of bike taxi drivers has sought Delhi LG V K Saxena's intervention in helping them stave off a Delhi government ban which proscribed them from plying on city roads in absence of a policy. The Delhi government had earlier in the week banned app-based taxi services such as Rapido and Uber in view of absence of a policy for plying of bike taxis on city roads. In a memorandum they handed over to LG's office, the drivers said the Delhi government was adamant on banning their services. "We will face difficulties in meeting household expenses, getting our children educated and getting our parents treated," read the memorandum. The Supreme Court had on Monday stayed a Delhi High Court order that essentially allowed Rapido and Uber to operate in the national capital by asking the Delhi government not to take any coercive action against them till a new policy was formulated. A vacation bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal at Supreme Court granted liberty to the two .

The Delhi government on Tuesday said it will ask bike-taxi aggregators to stop operations in the national capital till a policy is notified, a day after the Supreme Court stayed a High Court order that had allowed them to ply. Transport Commissioner Ashish Kundra said the government will write to aggregators and also appeal to them through the media to comply with the apex court order or face action. The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the High Court order that allowed bike-taxi aggregators Rapido and Uber to operate in the national capital. The SC's ruling is binding on all, Kundra said. "The submission of the department in the court was that we have already floated a draft scheme and the scheme is going to be finalised soon. In absence of any scheme and regulatory framework, the companies are overstepping their mandate by offering such services in absence of any permits or registration from the Transport Department," he told PTI. Kundra said the companies are free to give their .

India's top court on Monday backed the city government's ban on bike taxis in a setback for U.S. ride-hailing company Uber which had legally challenged authorities to continue offering the services

The Bench also recorded the Delhi government counsel's submission that the final policy regarding the aggregators will be notified before July-end

A division bench of Justices also directed Transport Department to refrain from taking any coercive measures against Rapido and other ride-sharing platforms until a comprehensive policy is formulated

The plan to go to court stems from the breakdown of talks between the drivers and aggregators and the Delhi government