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Knews Desk- The problems of companies providing bike taxi services like Ola, Uber and Rapido seem to be increasing. Taking strict action against these companies, the Maharashtra government has sent notices to Google and Apple demanding the removal of these apps from their platforms. The government alleges that these companies are running bike taxi services without following the necessary permissions and rules.

Action taken by Maharashtra Cyber ​​Department

This action has been taken by Maharashtra Cyber ​​Department. In the notice issued from the office of the Additional Director General of Police on May 15, Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act 2000 has been cited. The step was taken after Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik wrote a letter to the cyber department on May 12, demanding strict action against illegal bike taxi services.

The government says that these companies are providing transport services to passengers without valid license, government approval and following the rules of the Motor Vehicles Act. According to officials, the biggest concern is about the safety of passengers, especially questions have been raised regarding the safety of women. The government alleges that the driver verification system, insurance process and emergency response mechanism of these platforms are not strong enough.

After all, what is the reason?

Recently this issue took a more serious turn after the death of a female passenger in a bike taxi accident. The police have registered a case in this matter and the government has called it a serious example of ignoring the rules. Officials believe that if action is not taken in time, there could be a big threat to the safety of passengers.

The Maharashtra government has clarified that it is not completely against bike taxi services, but ignoring the rules will not be accepted under any circumstances. According to Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, only electric bike taxi services have been approved under the state’s electric vehicle policy. Despite this, companies are using petrol-powered bikes, which is a violation of the rules.

Serious questions raised on security

The government had given one month’s time to the companies to complete the necessary documents and paperwork, but till now no company has submitted the necessary documents. For this reason the government has now adopted a strict stance. The minister has made another serious allegation against Rapido. He says that the company is assuring its drivers that if a fine of Rs 200 to Rs 500 is imposed on them during the RTO investigation, the company will refund that amount. The government believes that such a system encourages violation of rules.

However, at present this action is limited to bike taxi services only. Other services of these companies like car taxi, auto service and food delivery will continue as normal. With this step of Maharashtra government, a new debate has started regarding bike taxi services across the country.