Desk: The government has taken a big decision for the bike taxi running companies Ola, Uber and Rapido in Maharashtra. The state government has ordered these companies to make 100 percent of their bike taxi fleet electric by July 2027. That is, after the stipulated time, bike taxi service will have to use electric bikes instead of petrol-powered motorcycles.
According to the report, the Transport Department of Maharashtra has sent a letter in this regard to the bike taxi companies and the Regional Transport Office (RTO) of the state in October. This decision has been taken after the instructions of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Companies have been given a total of 9 months to completely shift to electric vehicles.
According to the government's plan, the operators currently running bike taxis using petrol bikes will have to shift to electric bikes within 6 months in the first phase. At the same time, under Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules 2025, operators with provisional or temporary license will get 3 months more time for this. However, concerns of bike taxi drivers and associations have also come to light regarding this decision of the government. He says that suddenly buying an electric bike will not be easy for many drivers.
In September, Maharashtra Bike Taxi Welfare Association had written a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other officials, seeking one and a half years' time for the transition to electric vehicles. According to association president Amit Gawde, a large number of bike taxi drivers come from weaker sections. In such a situation, it may be difficult for them to buy a new electric bike together. Apart from this, not having adequate EV charging infrastructure in the state is also a big challenge. Drivers have also expressed concern about the battery life of electric vehicles.
Bike taxi companies had demanded the government to extend the deadline for transition to electric fleet to 2030. The companies had cited Maharashtra's electric vehicle policy and the time taken to change the fleet. However, the government did not fully accept the demand of the companies and set a deadline of only 9 months. This decision has come at a time when action has been increased in Maharashtra against bike taxi services that do not have permission or do not follow the rules.