Special Correspondent
Mumbai: In a dramatic revelation, Maharashtra’s Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has exposed the unauthorized operation of Rapido bike taxis in the state by conducting a sting operation himself. Despite the government not granting official permission to such services, Rapido and similar app-based bike taxi platforms continue to operate freely a fact brought to light when a Rapido rider arrived to pick up the minister near the state secretariat itself.
Minister Sarnaik had earlier received complaints alleging that certain bike taxi services were operating without government authorization in Mumbai and other cities. However, when he sought an official inquiry, the transport department officials responded claiming, “No unauthorized bike taxi service is currently operational in Mumbai or any other city in the state.”
Dissatisfied with the response, the minister decided to verify the claims personally. Using a different name, he booked a Rapido ride through the app. To everyone’s surprise, a bike arrived at Shaheed Babu Genu Chowk right in front of Mantralaya — within ten minutes.
Upon questioning the rider, it was revealed that the service was functioning regularly. This confirmed that companies like Rapido are indeed offering bike taxi services in violation of government rules.
Notably, the Maharashtra government recently announced a new e-bike taxi policy, allowing only electric bikes operated by organizations complying with specific terms and conditions to run such services. This implies that all petrol-based bike taxi services currently in operation are unauthorized.
The incident has also brought into question the credibility of the transport department. The fact that senior officials provided misleading information to the minister has raised serious concerns about internal accountability. With this sting operation, all eyes are now on what disciplinary action will be taken against the officials who attempted to cover up the truth.
