Pune's crackdown on Rapido has intensified, with the district administration now pushing for its bike taxi service to be taken off the app. This move comes after District Collector Jitendra Dudi wrote to the police, following which Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar has asked the cyber cell to disable the bike taxi booking option on Rapido in the Pune district.
A Pune RTO official said action has already been taken against over 10 operators, and fines of more than Rs 60,000 have been collected. No one has been allowed to run bike taxis in Pune, the official clarified.
The action comes just a week after the Regional Transport Office filed an FIR against the cab-hailing app Rapido for allegedly running bike taxis without permission. The company has been accused of operating the service illegally.
Yet, a week after the complaint, users can still book a bike taxi on the Rapido app.
In his letter, Dudi asked the commissioner to direct the cyber cell to immediately block the bike taxi feature on the app until Rapido gets the required permissions.
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Bookings on Rapido's app have also triggered anger among local auto-rickshaw drivers. Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha and 'Baghtoy Rickshawala' Union President Kshirsagar questioned how passengers are still able to book bike taxis even after an FIR has been registered. He said the union will soon meet RTO officials to demand stricter action.
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Rickshaw Panchayat President Nitin Pawar also hit out at Rapido, saying the company was warned earlier that its licence would be suspended if it did not stop the service. He said the union will now directly approach the Pune collector for answers.
Currently, the controversy surrounding the regulation of app-based bike taxis in Pune has intensified. Rapido has been asked for a response on the matter, but the company is yet to react.