Maharashtra to legalise bike taxis from August 1 with domicile rule for drivers

New Delhi: Maharashtra will begin issuing permits for app-based bike taxis from August 1, marking a policy shift from enforcement drives against platforms to a legal aggregator framework. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik told the Legislative Assembly that bike taxis will be brought under regulation through app-based monitoring. Drivers will need a Maharashtra domicile certificate, a valid licence, a government-issued badge and other prescribed eligibility clearances. The state estimates that about 4 lakh to 4.5 lakh app-based bike taxis are operating without valid permission. Sarnaik said the government is not receiving revenue from these services and has now framed a policy to regulate the sector. Aggregators will have to pay Rs 5 per ride to the state government and contribute 2 percent of the fare to a welfare fund administered by the State Transport Authority. The fund is meant to support drivers working with bike-taxi and four-wheeler aggregator platforms. The domicile requirement has been framed around local employment and language familiarity. Sarnaik said the certificate would help the state assess how long a person has lived in Maharashtra and whether the driver knows Marathi. The new framework follows a period of action against app-based aggregators such as Rapido, Ola and Uber. Maharashtra had earlier notified rules allowing only electric bike taxis and later pursued enforcement against unauthorised petrol-powered services. Official figures tabled in the Assembly showed fines of Rs 16.25 lakh between April 2025 and March 2026, and Rs 2.31 lakh in April-May 2026. About 1,000 vehicles were found operating illegally, though criminal cases were registered against only 14 drivers. From August 1, the state expects legal permits, ride-level levies and welfare contributions to replace the present unregulated operating model.