Good news for Mumbaikars! Ola, Uber & Rapido get provisional licences for bike taxi services. Check fares, other details
The Maharashtra State Transport Authority has granted provisional licenses to Ola, Uber, and Rapido for bike taxi services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Check fare, other details here.
The State Transport Authority (STA) in Maharashtra has granted provisional licences to the parent firms of app-based taxi aggregators Ola, Uber, and Rapido that will now allow these companies to operate bike taxi services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Officials told PTI that the approval comes on the condition that these companies apply for permanent licences within a month after fulfilling all terms and conditions prescribed in the Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules 2025. The minimum fare for each ride is set at ₹15 for 1.5 km.
Provisional approval for bike taxis
The STA has granted provisional licences to ANI Technologies Private Limited, Uber India Systems Private Limited, and Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited — the parent companies of Ola, Uber, and Rapido, respectively.
In the last two months, the transport department received four applications to operate bike taxi services in Mumbai.
Another applicant, Smart-Ride, got rejected by the authority for failing to meet the necessary terms and conditions for operating a bike taxi service. The new Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules 2025 were implemented by the state government through a government resolution (GR).
Fixed fare structure
The STA, chaired by state Transport Secretary Sanjay Sethi, set a minimum fare for bike taxis at ₹15 for 1.5 km in a meeting held on August 18. Passengers will then be charged ₹10.27 per km for the rest of the ride.
These bike taxi fares, applicable across the state, were determined using the formula devised by the Khatua panel, which is also used to calculate rates for autorickshaws and taxis, the official added.
The authority plans to review bike taxi fares after one year, as reported by PTI.
Fares comparison with other transport fares
The new bike taxi fares are significantly lower than the minimum fares of black-and-yellow taxis and autorickshaws in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
PTI said in a news report that passengers have to pay a minimum fare of ₹31 for black-and-yellow taxis and ₹26 for autorickshaws.
Maharashtra shifts stance after earlier bike taxi ban
Previously, in January 2023, the government issued a GR that banned the use of private or non-transport category two-wheelers for app-based services.
Despite the ban, some companies continued to operate app-based bike taxi services in Mumbai and other parts of the state using private two-wheelers.
The transport department has since filed FIRs against some of these aggregators, which were operating illegally and charging dynamic fares. The recent provisional licences, the news agency said, mark a new phase of regulated bike taxi services in the state.