Transport dept to appeal against MHC order of allowing bike taxi operation
In 2019, the Chennai city police wrote to Google, Apple India and Indian Computer Emergency Response Team directing them to remove the 'Rapido Bike' app from their platforms.
Madras High Court
CHENNAI: The transport department would soon be appealing against the Madras High Court order allowing operation of bike taxis in the state.
The decision to move the high court seeking vacation of the stay on a single judge order of banning the operation of the bike taxi has come amid strong protests from the auto-rickshaw drivers citing the impact on their livelihood.
In 2019, the Chennai city police wrote to Google, Apple India and Indian Computer Emergency Response Team directing them to remove the 'Rapido Bike' app from their platforms. Challenging the police move, the app-based aggregator filed a writ petition in the high court but the single judge upheld the police order.
"However, the aggregator filed a writ appeal in the court and contended that the removal app from the platform would impact their business in other states. If the app is removed, it will impact operations in other states. The company also contended that it would not operate bikes commercially in the state. But they are operating bike taxi services commercially in the state. We are going to move the High Court seeking to lift the stay, so that the ban will continue, " a senior official of the Commissionerate of Transport and Road Safety said.
In the state, there is no provision to register the two-wheeler as a commercial vehicle, the official said, adding that the bikes registered as private vehicles should not be used for commercial purposes.
The official said that following the direction of the transport commissioner to conduct a special drive to curtail revenue loss to the government by operation of the personal vehicles as commercial vehicles. "Bikes taxis are being seized and kept at the RTOs, " the official added.
S Balasubramanian, state president of the CITU's autorickshaw drivers union said that the illegal operation of the bike taxis are eating into the earnings of the auto drivers. "The police and the transport department should not allow the operation of the bike taxis, " he demanded.
