Pune RTO Books Rapido Over Alleged Illegal Bike-Taxi Operations

Pune’s Regional Transport Office (RTO) has registered a case against Roppen Transportation Services Pvt Ltd, the parent company of Rapido, for allegedly operating unauthorised bike-taxi services using petrol-powered motorcycles registered for private use. The action followed a decoy operation in which transport officials booked a ride through the app, despite a directive from Pune Collector and Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Chairman Jitendra Dudi ordering the company to suspend its services until it obtained the required licence.

According to officials, an RTO road safety squad booked a 13-km ride from Yerawada to Kothrud bus depot for ₹179 on October 16. A rider arrived on a petrol-powered two-wheeler registered under the non-transport category. Officials took possession of the vehicle and issued a challan under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

A complaint was lodged at Vishrantwadi police station, and a case was registered under Section 318(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), concerning cheating, along with relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and the Information Technology Act. The allegations remain subject to investigation.

The enforcement action follows a prolonged licensing dispute. The Pune RTA rejected Rapido’s licence application on December 20, 2022. The Bombay High Court dismissed the company’s challenge in January 2023, and the Supreme Court subsequently declined to entertain its challenge. Rapido submitted a fresh aggregator licence application on August 11, 2026, but regulatory approval remains pending.

At a meeting on October 15, Dudi directed Rapido to suspend operations across Pune district until it secured a valid licence, warning that violations would invite legal action.

The case also raises questions about compliance with the Maharashtra Bike-Taxi Rules, 2025, which establish licensing, vehicle eligibility and passenger-safety requirements for bike-taxi services, including provisions for electric two-wheelers. A valid driving licence and registration certificate alone do not necessarily authorise a private motorcycle to carry paying passengers commercially.

Authorities have also reiterated requirements for aggregators to pay 80 per cent of fares to drivers, keep fares within the prescribed range of 25 per cent below and 50 per cent above the RTO-fixed base rate, submit monthly operational data and display prescribed fares separately in their apps.