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Mumbai: Transport commissioner's office on Thursday issued a statement pointing out that "services like Rapido, Uber, and Ola are engaging in illegal passenger transport in metropolitan areas without obtaining necessary licenses as mandated under Section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2020", and that action has been initiated. Source in the aggregator firm, however, said that bike taxi option was not visible on Uber, Ola and also Rapido apps in Mumbai. tnn
NEW DELHI: Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has said that India is the company's third-largest mobility market with over 1.4 million drivers and is a "must-win" for the company. In a podcast with the co-founder of Zerodha, Nikhil Kamath, the Uber CEO said that the growth in the Indian market is 'spectacular', adding, "India is an absolute must-win for Uber, not just tomorrow, but 10 years from now." Khosrowshahi said that Ola used to be Uber's main competition, but Rapido is currently the more formidable rival in India. "The real test of the business isn't how fast you can grow if you're spending ...Read More >
Srinagar, Jul 3 (PTI) The annual Amarnath Yatra began on Thursday with the first batches of pilgrims setting off from the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan towards the 3880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas, which houses a naturally formed ice-lingam, officials said. The yatra started early morning from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal route. The batches of pilgrims, including men, women and sadhus, left from the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, in south Kashmir's Anantnag, and Baltal base camp in Sonamarg area of central ...Read More >
HYDERABAD: With the kharif season underway and farmers facing an acute shortage of urea, agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has written to the Centre, urging immediate intervention to ensure timely and sufficient supply of the critical fertiliser. In letters addressed to Union minister for chemicals and fertilisers JP Nadda, Tummala highlighted the alarming gap between the state's demand and actual supply. The minister said the Centre had allocated five lakh metric tonnes of urea to Telangana for the months of April, May, and June. However, only 3.06 lakh metric tonnes have been suppli ...Read More >
Pune was thrown into chaos as cab and auto drivers using app-based services went on strike. Passengers encountered not only increased fares but also instances of violence, making their travel experience perilous. Arguments with passengers and overcharging marred the indefinite strike called by aggregator app-based cab and auto drivers from Friday in the city. Among the worst affected were flyers arriving at the airport and struggling to find further travel options. A woman on her way to a doctor ...Read More >
Mumbai: The Amboli police registered an FIR against Rapido and its director on Friday for allegedly operating their transport service illegally through an app. The case was initiated following a complaint from the Regional Transport Commissioner's Office.In the complaint, a Vehicle Supervision Officer with Regional Transport Commissioner's Office, Harshal Sase said: "Illegal transport services were being operated in the city via the Rapido app. Operators of the app did not obtain permission from ...Read More >
Mumbai: Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik, under an alias, booked a Rapido bike on Wednesday to test whether the service was still being offered despite it being illegal due to the lack of proper regulations for bike taxis. The biker, unaware of the identity of his customer, rode right into the midst of transport department officials who caught him red handed. However, Sarnaik directed officials not to register a case against the bike driver as he was merely an employee, and instead take action against the company. On April 1, the state cabinet had issued a draft electric-bike tax ...Read More >
Rider Siddhesh Pardeshi (19), a class VII drop out, was arrested on Sunday Thane: A Rapido bike taxi rider was arrested in Kalyan in Thane district for allegedly molesting a 26-year-old woman passenger and stealing Rs 1000 from her, a police official said on Monday. Rider Siddhesh Pardeshi (19), a class VII drop out, was arrested on Sunday for the incident which took place on Saturday, Mahatma Phule police station senior inspector Baliramsingh Pardeshi said. "The accused picked up the victim ...Read More >
Nagpur: Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar questioned the govt's priorities on Tuesday, highlighting the increasing number of farmer suicides in Maharashtra. He accused the govt of neglecting agrarian crisis while approving Rs20,000 crore for Shaktipeeth highway project."Money is available for massive infrastructure projects, but where is the budget for farm loan waivers as promised by the BJP before last year's assembly polls to the farmers?" Wadettiwar asked while moving an adjournment motion in the Legislative Assembly. He cited official data showing that between January and ...Read More >
CHENNAI: The Centre has cleared the decks for bike taxis by allowing state governments to permit non-transport (private) motorcycles to carry passengers through aggregator platforms. The move comes under the newly released Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025 and marks the first time private registered two-wheelers have been considered for commercial ride services. The decision comes even as auto and cab driver associations in Tamil Nadu continue to push for a ban on bike taxis, citing safety and livelihood concerns. Karnataka has already banned the service. The guidelines, issued by th ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Rapido, the company best known for its bike taxi and ride-hailing services, has now entered the food delivery business with a brand-new app called Ownly. The service has been launched in three Bengaluru neighbourhoods -- Koramangala, HSR Layout, and BTM Layout. The new app is being seen as a challenger to Swiggy and Zomato as it promises to deliver food at a price that's up to 15% cheaper than its competition. ...Read More >
BENGALURU: A woman commuter on Wednesday informed the Karnataka High Court that bike taxis are safer, more affordable and convenient for women, in comparison with other modes of public transport, including buses and cabs. This point, which is contrary to the state government's contention that bike taxis are unsafe for women, was made before the division bench of acting Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice CM Joshi during a hearing of appeals by the Bike Taxis Welfare Association, along with Ola, Uber, and Rapido, and owners of two-wheelers, against the order passed by a single judge on Ap ...Read More >
The Karnataka High Court adjourned a hearing on the ban until September 22, urging the government to consider the impact on livelihoods. Ride hailing apps Uber and Rapido have resumed bike taxi services in Bengaluru after gap of two months. The state govt had imposed a ban on bike taxi operations from June 16, leading aggregators to halt services following the seizure of bikes and heavy penalties by RTOs in the city. Aggregators had also approached the Karnataka High Court against the blanket ba ...Read More >
Surat (Gujarat) [India], August 21: KP Group, a leading name in India's renewable energy sector, is stepping up its expansion with a clear goal of reaching 10 GW capacity by 2030. With projects already underway in Gujarat, the Group is working on projects in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, supported by a strong order book and government partnerships. KP Group has signed memoranda of understanding with Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for over 2.6 GW of renewable projects, while exploring new opportunities in other states. The Group has already e ...Read More >
Mumbai, July 2 (PTI) Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday exposed the illegal plying of bike taxis by booking a ride in Mumbai using a different name, an investigation that laid bare the department's official version of strict compliance. The minister booked a ride using Rapido app to verify a senior official's claim that the app and illegal bike taxi service were not functional. Also Read | Acid Attack in Madhya Pradesh: Consumed by Jealousy, Childhood Friend Hurls Acid at 22-Year-Old Woman's Face in Jabalpur; Victim Battles for Life. He booked a ride from Mantralaya ...Read More >
MUMBAI: The state transport authority has approved a minimum bike taxi fare of Rs 15 for the first 1.5 km, and Rs 10.27 for each subsequent km. Bike taxis may start by month end or early Oct by aggregators Ola, Uber and Rapido, whose applications were approved among four received. Transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said all three can start operations on a pilot basis across MMR from Tuesday. The aggregators have been given a provisional licence; the minister said, "They will have nearly a month to seek a permanent licence," by fulfilling the state's bike taxi GR conditions.The transport departm ...Read More >
Thane, Dec 16 (PTI) Police on Tuesday said an Uber bike taxi rider has been arrested at Kalyan in the district for allegedly molesting a 26-year-old woman passenger and robbing her. Earlier on Monday, police had identified the accused as a Rapido bike taxi rider. Siddhesh Pardeshi (19), a class VII drop-out, has been arrested under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 309 (robbery) and 74 (assault or criminal force to woman with the intention of outraging her modesty) for the incident which took place on the evening of December 13, police said. On Monday, Mahatma Phule police station's senior in ...Read More >
Mumbai: In a dramatic turn of events, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik personally exposed illegal operations of popular bike taxi service Rapido, which has been operating without official approval in the state. Despite clear government directives and the absence of any formal permission, Rapido Bike was found functioning in Mumbai, violating the state's newly announced e-bike taxi policy. The policy, which aims to regulate two-wheeler taxi services, only allows electric vehicles that meet specific criteria to operate legally. To verify reports of unauthorized services, Minister ...Read More >
Mumbai: The Mumbai Police has filed an FIR against the Rapido director for purportedly running bike taxi services unlawfully via its application. The FIR was filed at the Amboli police station following a complaint from the office of the Regional Transport Commissioner. In the complaint, Harshal Sase, a Vehicle Supervision Officer at the Regional Transport Commissioner's Office stated, "The Rapido app was being used to operate illegal transport services in the city," according to reports. The app operators had not received authorization from the government to operate their vehicles in the cit ...Read More >
The licences were given to ANI Technologies (Ola), Uber India Systems, and Roppen Transportation Services (Rapido). The firms must now apply for permanent approvals within a month after meeting all compliance conditions. The State Transport Authority (STA) of Maharashtra has granted provisional licences to the parent firms of Ola, Uber, and Rapido to run bike taxi services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The decision, taken under the newly notified Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules 2025, is seen as a major step towards formally regulating a service that has until now operated in a grey zon ...Read More >
Faridabad: An incident has come to light purportedly from Haryana's Faridabad, which raises concern over the safety of passengers using the Rapido app for booking taxis and the conduct of drivers. A passenger was reportedly assaulted with an iron rod by a Rapido driver. The exact location where the incident took place is not known. However, the numberplate of the car suggests the car is from Haryana's Faridabad. The incident reportedly took place after the man requested the driver to stop holding his phone to his ear during a call and to keep both hands on the steering wheel for safety. The m ...Read More >
Pune: Accountancy firm employee Prakash Sammour was waiting for an autorickshaw near BT Kawade Road last week when a young man on a two-wheeler approached and offered to drop him to his workplace near the Lohegaon airport. The rider claimed that he had been providing the service for a month, transporting many people daily. "He quoted Rs 250 for the ride to my workplace. I, however, declined because of safety reasons. I knew that bike taxi services were unavailable in Pune," Sammour said.Earlier this week, the state transport commissioner's office issued show-cause notices to Ola, Uber and Rapi ...Read More >
New Delhi: These days, Rajesh, who used to be a bike-taxi rider with Rapido, no longer ferries passengers across Bengaluru. With the two-wheeler service being declared illegal, he like other Rapido riders, has switched to food-delivery, a play Rapido is testing with its newly launched Ownly service. "I do this at night while attending college in the morning," Rajesh adds. "I use the same bike -- it's convenient, and the extra cash helps cover my expenses." He is unsure if Rapido will be able to break the Swiggy-Zomato duopoly, which has a stranglehold over the food delivery business. "Who kn ...Read More >
Mumbai: A day after Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik conducted a surprise sting operation exposing illegal bike taxi services, the state Transport Commissioner's office has issued strict directives to all Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) to take immediate action against unauthorised bike taxi operators. The State Transport Department has launched a special enforcement drive against the illegal operation of bike taxis across the state. In an official letter issued on Thursday by the Transport Commissioner's office, all Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) and Deputy RTOs have been d ...Read More >
Mumbai, July 2 (PTI) Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday exposed the illegal plying of bike taxis by booking a ride in Mumbai using a different name, an investigation that laid bare the department's official version of strict compliance. The minister booked a ride using Rapido app to verify a senior official's claim that the app and illegal bike taxi service were not functional. He booked a ride from Mantralaya to Dadar using the app, which showed the fare payable at Rs 195, the minister told PTI. When the biker arrived at Babu Genu Junction outside Mantralaya, the mi ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 2: The government has permitted cab aggregators like Ola, Uber and Rapido to charge up to twice the base fare during peak hours. Previously, they were allowed to apply a surge or dynamic pricing of only up to 1.5 times the base fare. The change was announced in the revised Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). These new rules aim to strike a balance between user safety, driver welfare, and business operations. As per the new rules, cab companies can now charge a minimum of 50 per cent of the base fare during ...Read More >
Mumbai: After a recent police case against bike taxis illegally operating in the city, state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik, while waiting outside Mantralaya on Wednesday, asked a senior official of the department if bike taxis were completely off roads. He was informed that there were no bike taxis operating in Mumbai. But when the minister personally booked a bike on the Rapido Bike Taxi app under an alias, within 10 minutes, the bike arrived at Shaheed Babu Genu Chowk near Mantralaya."I caught the rider red handed and proved that he was operating illegally," Sarnaik said. He later issued ...Read More >
BENGALURU: Will the bike taxi ban be revoked in Karnataka, has become a million dollar question now, especially after the Union government's guidelines permitting aggregation of non-transport motorcycles for passenger journey. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on July 1 released its Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines (MVAG) 2025 which permits the aggregation of non-transport (personal) motorcycles for passenger journey. Bike taxi aggregators are pinning their hopes on the recent guidelines, hoping that this will convince the state government to revoke the ban on bike taxis. Bi ...Read More >
Happy Thursday! International semiconductor companies are vying to cash in on the India opportunity. This and more in today's ETtech Morning Dispatch. Also in the letter: ■ Rapido dishes out Ownly ■ BlueStone IPO closes ■ Startup IPOs' returns Global semiconductor firms reeling from financial pressure are actively exploring strategic partnerships in India, drawn by the country's expanding digital economy and generous government subsidies. Driving the news: India's semiconductor push - ...Read More >
Srinagar- To the world, he may be seen as extraordinarily lucky. But to 40-year-old Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the lone survivor of the Air India crash on June 12, survival has come at an unbearable cost. Vishwas, an Indian-origin British national, was the only person to walk away alive after Flight AI171, a London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The crash claimed the lives of 241 passengers and crew members on board and 19 people on the ground. Among the dead was his younger brother, Ajay. Vishwas was ...Read More >
The Karnataka High Court on August 22 clarified that it had not passed an order allowing bike-taxi aggregators to operate and that the state was free to act, without harassing bike owners Days after they resumed plying bike taxis in Karnataka, Rapido has rolled out "Bike Direct" to continue operations, while Uber and Ola are no longer offering the service, two days after the Karnataka High Court clarified that it had not issued an order permitting them to operate again. Moneycontrol found that ...Read More >