Maharashtra will charge bike taxi operators a daily fee of Rs 5 and a 2% welfare contribution on every ride under a temporary framework until its electric bike taxi policy is fully implemented, transport minister Pratap Sarnaik told PTI. The state expects the framework to take effect from August 1.
“Bike taxi services have been operating illegally in Maharashtra. We have decided that, starting August 1, these illegal bike taxis will have to pay a daily fee of Rs 5 plus a 2% contribution to the welfare fund. A proposal in this regard has been sent to the state law and judiciary department for approval,” Sarnaik said. The welfare fund, administered by the state, is meant to support bike taxi and cab drivers.
What must a driver do to operate legally? From August 1, the state will issue bike taxi permits only to drivers who meet a set of conditions:
- A Maharashtra domicile certificate, which Sarnaik said lets the state gauge how long a driver has lived in the state and whether the driver knows Marathi.
- A Public Service Vehicle (PSV) badge under the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
- A valid commercial driving licence under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
- Police character verification.
- Operation through a registered aggregator, rather than independently.
How big is the unregulated market? Sarnaik told the assembly that 4-4.5 lakh app-based bike taxis run in Maharashtra without valid permission, and that the state earns no revenue from them. Enforcement so far:
- April 2025 to March 2026: authorities detected 814 offending vehicles, seized 151, filed 14 first information reports (FIRs) and collected Rs 16.25 lakh in fines.
- April to May 2026: 211 vehicles flagged, 66 seized, Rs 2.31 lakh collected.
Why has this dragged on for years? Bike taxis have been legalised and banned repeatedly in the state:
- Maharashtra notified the Bike Taxi Rules 2025 in July 2025, then granted Ola, Uber and Rapido provisional 30-day licences in September to switch to electric bike taxis, permitting only yellow-painted electric two-wheelers.
- The platforms allegedly did not comply. The state revoked the licences in March 2026, citing non-submission of documents, continued use of petrol bikes, and complaints of harassment of women riders.
- In May, Sarnaik asked the cybercrime department to block the apps’ bike taxi operations and remove them from the Google and Apple app stores, invoking the IT Act alongside the Motor Vehicles Act. The government withdrew the app-store order a day later.
How does this connect to the Marathi language push? The domicile-and-Marathi condition tracks a parallel move by the same minister. Sarnaik has said auto-rickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers, including those on Ola and Uber, must pass a functional Marathi test by August 16 or face licence cancellation by their Regional Transport Office (RTO). The deadline moved from an earlier May 1, and the state has appointed teachers to train…
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