Bike taxi aggregators are planning to move court within a week for a stay on the Delhi government’s February 20 bike taxi ban order. The aggregators including the likes of Uber, Ola and Rapido, are looking to get a stay on the ban, Business Standard reported.
Delhi also happens to be the biggest market for bike taxis, with more than 120K drivers and as many as 2 million rides a week. Therefore, the ban has disrupted the service and last-mile connectivity that it brings. According to statistics shared by Uber with Inc42, Delhi saw more than 19 Lakh bike taxi rides between metro stations alone in 2022.
Delhi government, while notifying the ban two Mondays ago, noted that bike taxi drivers with non-transport registration numbers are carrying passengers in contravention of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988.
BS reported today that the talks between the Delhi government and bike taxi aggregators and drivers have broken down. A senior executive of one of the aggregators told the publication that the state government would bring new guidelines in the next three to four months, even later, which leaves them with no choice but to move to court.
According to the aforementioned report, the aggregators have made two suggestions to break the impasse. The first was to offer to convert the fleet to electric as long as they had enough time. The second was to ensure a level playing field for all commercial two-wheeler riders, including those who deliver for ecommerce platforms.