The State Transport Authority (STA) in Maharashtra has granted approval for provisional licences to the parent firms of app-based taxi aggregators Ola, Uber, and Rapido for bike taxi services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and fixed a minimum fare of Rs 15 for 1.5 kms, officials have said.
As per the minutes of an STA meeting, the approval has been granted on the condition that these companies apply for permanent licences within a month, fulfilling all terms and conditions prescribed in the Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules 2025.
ANI Technologies Private Limited, Uber India Systems Private Limited, and Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited, the parent companies of Ola, Uber, and Rapido, respectively, have been given approval.
In the last two months, the transport department received four applications to launch bike taxi services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). But it approved provisional licences for only three companies.
The STA rejected Smart-Ride's application for failing to meet the necessary terms and conditions for operating a bike taxi service.
The state government implemented the new Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules 2025 through a government resolution (GR).
The STA has also approved a minimum fare for bike taxis at Rs 15 for 1.5 kms, officials said on Monday.
Passengers will have to pay Rs 10.27 per km for the service, they said.
The STA, chaired by state Transport Secretary Sanjay Sethi, approved the fares in a meeting held on August 18, and they will be applicable across the state, an official from a regional transport office (RTO) said.
The transport authority has fixed the fare for bike taxis using the formula devised by the Khatua panel, which has been in use to derive rates for autorickshaws and taxis, the official added.
The authority has also decided to review bike taxi fares after one year, it was stated.
In January 2023, the government issued a GR prohibiting the use of private or non-transport category two-wheelers for app-based services.
However, despite the ban, some companies continued to provide app-based bike taxi services in Mumbai and other parts of the state using private two-wheelers.
The transport department has filed FIRs against some of these bike-taxi aggregators, who were operating illegally and charging dynamic fares.
Fares for bike taxis are significantly lower than the minimum fares of black-and-yellow taxis and autorickshaws in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Passengers pay a minimum fare of Rs 31 for black-and-yellow taxis and Rs 26 for autorickshaws.
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