The tourists visiting Madhya Pradesh will soon have the option of hiring the services of motorbike taxis to easily ply through narrow lanes and traffic snarls.
This kind of service was allowed during the Ujjain Simhastha Mela in 2016 to avoid traffic problems due to big vehicles, and the experiment was successful, prompting the state transport authorities to come up with a policy on it.
"During Simhastha-2016, temporary permits for three months were issued for bike taxis. Later, the transport department had come up with a draft policy and invited objections and claims," Madhya Pradesh transport commissioner Shailendra Shrivastava told PTI.
"The policy is being finalised at the state government level and is likely to be released next month," he said.
These taxi services would be app-based, he said.
At present, the state government has allowed only one company in Indore to operate such taxis.
Once the policy comes into effect, it would be easier for other companies also to get a licence for bike taxis.
Besides all the safety arrangements, it is proposed that bike riders will have to keep a spare helmet for the person who will hire the motorbike taxi, Shrivastava said.
"Permits would be granted only after thorough verification and checking of security features. At least 25 bike taxis should be available with the company or the operator for running such services."
According to the draft policy, the photo and details of the bike driver would be available on the app when someone hires the service. The rate of these taxis would be fixed by the Regional Transport Authority.
The draft policy also proposed that there should be a system to track the movement of these taxis through the GPS (global positioning system).
These bike taxis would be charged Rs 1,000 per year as licence fee, besides ensuring the security verification of drivers/riders, another transport department officer said.
Last year, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadikari had expressed confidence that bike taxis will offer solutions not only for wading through severe traffic congestions in metropolises but could also provide an affordable transportation to people in far-flung rural areas.
"We are planning to facilitate launch of bikes as taxis. We are going to introduce a cab aggregator platform where commuters could choose any mode of transportation that also includes a bike taxi," Gadkari had announced.
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