Mumbai Police have registered a First Information Report against the Directors and top Executives of Ola and Rapido for allegedly operating extensive bike-taxi services throughout the city without obtaining mandatory permits from the Maharashtra Government or the Regional Transport Authority, marking one of the strongest regulatory actions yet against unlicensed two-wheeler aggregators.
The case, filed at Amboli police station on the basis of a detailed complaint submitted by the Regional Transport Office, accuses both companies of deliberately flouting central and state transport laws by converting private motorcycles into commercial taxis through their apps, enabling thousands of riders to illegally transport passengers and generate massive profits while bypassing all statutory approvals and taxation requirements.
Authorities have invoked multiple stringent sections of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988—including 193, 192(A), 197, 198, and crucial Section 66 that prohibits any vehicle from being used for hire or reward without a valid contract carriage permit—alongside sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to disobedience of law and cheating by false representation.
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A key concern repeatedly highlighted in the complaint is the complete absence of mandatory police verification and background checks for bike-taxi drivers on these platforms, creating serious safety vulnerabilities especially for women passengers who have no assurance of the rider’s credentials, criminal history, or driving legitimacy in an unregulated ecosystem.
As Maharashtra intensifies its crackdown on unauthorised aggregators to protect passenger safety, ensure fair competition for licensed transport operators, and enforce compliance with the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020, the criminal case signals that regulators are no longer willing to tolerate the rapid, permission-less expansion of app-based bike taxis in the state’s financial capital.
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