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Maharashtra formalises bike taxi rules, grants licences to Ola, Uber, Rapido
Maharashtra’s STA has granted provisional licences to Ola, Uber, and Rapido for bike taxi services in Mumbai under the new 2025 rules, fixing fares at Rs 15 for 1.5 km, formally regulating a sector previously operating in grey areas.
The move is expected to make commuting cheaper compared to existing modes, with bike taxi fares less than half of black-and-yellow cabs and autorickshaws
The State Transport Authority (STA) in Maharashtra has granted provisional licences to the parent firms of Ola, Uber and Rapido to operate bike taxi services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), PTI reported. This marks a formal step towards regulating the sector that has so far operated in a grey zone.
The decision comes under the newly notified Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules 2025, which lay down licensing norms, fare structures and compliance requirements. The three firms, ANI Technologies (Ola), Uber India Systems and Roppen Transportation Services (Rapido), must apply for permanent licences within a month, fulfilling all prescribed conditions.
For the first time, the state has also approved a fare formula for bike taxis, fixing the minimum fare at Rs 15 for the first 1.5 km and Rs 10.27 per km thereafter. The rates, derived using the Khatua panel formula that currently governs autorickshaw and taxi fares, will be reviewed after one year.
The move is expected to make commuting cheaper compared to existing modes, with bike taxi fares less than half of black-and-yellow cabs (Rs 31 minimum) and autorickshaws (Rs 26 minimum). Officials said this could provide relief to daily commuters while offering aggregators a structured framework to expand services legally.
Notably, the STA rejected an application by Smart-Ride for failing to meet eligibility conditions.
Until now, bike taxi services in Mumbai were operating in defiance of a 2023 government ban on using private two-wheelers for commercial ride-hailing. Several companies had faced FIRs for continuing operations illegally and charging dynamic fares.
Transport Secretary Sanjay Sethi, who chaired the STA meeting, said the licensing regime is aimed at ensuring transparency, consumer protection, and fair competition while integrating bike taxis into the state’s urban mobility network.
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