Rapido and Uber are facing legal trouble in Mumbai after police filed cheating cases against them for running bike taxi services without government approval. The FIR, registered at the Azad Maidan police station, follows undercover operations by Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials, who booked dummy rides to confirm that the companies were operating illegally.
The case was filed under Section 318(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act. According to the complaint, both companies were offering passenger transport through mobile apps without obtaining proper licenses or authorisation from the Maharashtra government or RTO.
This isn’t the first time Rapido has faced action. In April, the RTO issued them a notice for similar violations. The crackdown escalated after multiple complaints and orders from the state Transport Commissioner.
The controversy comes as other states are also tightening rules around bike taxis. In Karnataka, the High Court recently directed a full ban on such services. As a result, Rapido, Ola, and Uber were forced to stop operations on June 16. The Karnataka government argued that private two-wheelers can't be used for commercial transport and refused to frame a bike taxi policy. Over 100 vehicles have been seized in Bengaluru during enforcement drives, and attempts by companies to bypass the ban by rebranding were blocked.
The situation highlights growing regulatory scrutiny of app-based transport services, especially in the absence of clear policies for bike taxis in many states.
