Rapido Booked By Pune Police Over Alleged Unauthorised Bike-Taxi Operations

Pune Police has booked Rapido parent Roppen Transportation Services Pvt Ltd for allegedly running bike-taxi services without the required licence and regulatory approvals, according to an FIR registered at Vishrantwadi police station yesterday. 

The FIR alleges that the company used its app to facilitate paid passenger rides on two-wheelers registered as non-transport vehicles.

The development was first reported by Times of India. Inc42 has reached out to Rapido for comment. The story will be updated on receiving a response. 

The alleged violation came to light when Pune RTO motor vehicle inspector Prasad Govardhan Surwase booked a ride through the Rapido app during an enforcement drive against unauthorised bike-taxi operations.

The action came a day after Pune District Collector and Regional Transport Authority (RTA) chairman Jitendra Dudi directed Rapido to immediately suspend bike-taxi operations across Pune district until it obtained an ebike taxi aggregator licence. The FIR also states that the RTO issued the company a notice on Thursday (October 15).

The directive followed a meeting with representatives of auto-rickshaw and cab driver unions and aggregators. Dudi warned that continued operations would invite legal action and said the service would not be allowed to resume without a licence. 

At the same meeting, Dudi directed cab aggregators to submit monthly fare data to the district administration and display RTA-approved fares separately on their apps.

The directions followed complaints from auto-rickshaw and cab drivers that aggregators were violating prescribed fare norms.

According to Dudi, the existing norms require drivers to receive 80% of the RTA base fare, while passenger fares can range from 50% below the base fare to 1.5 times that amount.

He said the administration had received complaints about drivers being underpaid and passengers being charged beyond the permitted range, prompting the monthly reporting requirement.

FIR Cites Previous Regulatory Proceedings

The complaint also recounts Rapido’s earlier attempts to secure permission to operate in Pune, including the rejection of its licence application in December 2022 and subsequent proceedings before the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court. 

Rapido challenged the rejection through a writ petition filed in 2022, and the Bombay High Court directed the company to stop operating its app in an order in January 2023.

In an order in February 2023, the Supreme Court disposed of the related petitions, allowing the company to approach the High Court to challenge Maharashtra’s January 2023 notification prohibiting the use of non-transport vehicles for aggregation and ride pooling.

The complaint also refers to a notice issued by the Transport Commissioner’s Office on April 29, 2025, over alleged unauthorised passenger transport through Rapido’s app.

According to the FIR, Rapido applied for an aggregator licence with the Transport Commissioner’s Office in Mumbai on August 11, 2026, but had not received approval at the time of the incident.

The FIR further alleges inadequate driver background checks, raising concerns about passenger safety, particularly for women. 

The post Rapido Booked By Pune Police Over Alleged Unauthorised Bike-Taxi Operations appeared first on Inc42 Media.