New Delhi: Bike taxis are likely to return to Delhi roads soon after a month-long ban. Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said that the law department of the Delhi government has cleared the new aggregator policy which would allow bike taxis to ply on the city roads again.
The Delhi government had issued a public notice in February this year, instructing ride-sharing companies Ola, Uber and Rapido to halt their bike taxi services with immediate effect.
On February 20, the Delhi Transport Department had highlighted that using two-wheelers with non-transport (private) registration numbers for carrying passengers on hire is a commercial operation and a violation of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988.
The government had also informed that a violation of these rules will result in a Rs 5,000 fine on the first offense and then a Rs 10,000 fine and imprisonment for the second or subsequent offenses. The driver’s license can also be suspended for a minimum of three years.\
Now, the new aggregator policy is likely to introduce norms to regularise these vehicles which are mainly run by aggregators including Ola, Uber and Rapido, Times now reported.
Meanwhile, a senior official said that under the new policy, preference is likely to be given to electric bikes. Aggregators, who have electric fleets, would be allowed to run these bike taxis.
Moreover, a driver “would need to acquire a commercial service badge after having their antecedents verified by the police”, the report said.
“Two-wheelers will then be issued yellow commercial number plates,” the official was quoted as saying. All this will happen after the new policy is approved by the authorities.
The ministry and the Lieutenant Governor need to give final approval to the policy for it to be implemented.
