Rapido bike taxi gets stay order from High Court against Delhi gov’t actions – trendswire

In February 2023, the Delhi Department of Transport issued a public notice to rideshare aggregators Fast, Hello and Uber. The notice prohibited aggregators from offering any bicycle taxi services in the capital city and also warned that cyclists who violated the rules would be fined up to Rs 10,000 and even face a license suspension of a minimum of three years. Three months later, all three rideshare portals have now obtained a stay against the notice from the transport department of the Delhi High Court. Here are the details.

Rapido, Ola and Uber challenged the department’s public notice by filing a written petition against the Delhi Department of Transport’s decision. On May 26, the Delhi High Court granted a stay and ordered the transport department not to take any enforcement action against the three aggregators and their passengers, until a policy on the matter has been developed. The decision was granted by His Majesty Suresh Kumar Kait and His Majesty Neena Bansal Krishna.
In response to the development, an Uber spokesperson said: “We welcome the order by the Honorable High Court to provide Uber with protection against enforcement action on bicycle taxis in Delhi. This will provide relief to drivers on our platform whose livelihood is was affected by the ban. As well as the hundreds and thousands of riders who choose to ride Moto for its affordability and last-mile connectivity. We are committed to serving the city and being the platform of choice for riders and drivers alike.”
Trouble started for aggregators in January 2023, when the Bombay High Court issued an order banning pedicab and rickshaw services in Maharashtra, citing that the companies did not have the required license to offer these services. Rapido had challenged the order in the Supreme Court and sought redress, however SC rejected any redress for all those aggregators and ruled that such services had to be stopped immediately. Later, the ban was also imposed in Delhi when the transport department ruled that offering cycle taxi services on privately registered two-wheelers was in direct violation of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988.