Maharashtra Govt Considering Short-Term Permits for Privately-Owned Bike Taxis

The Transport Department under the Government of Maharashtra has proposed to introduce new daily and weekly permits that would allow privately-owned bikes to be used as bike taxis in the state, as per media reports. The move comes after bike taxis were formally recognised in mid-2025, but aggregator platforms’ provisional licenses were revoked less than six months later due to alleged rule violations.

If ratified, the newly proposed rules would mean that bikes can be used as taxis without having to be registered as commercial vehicles. This would bring significant relief to bike owners who wish to use their vehicles to generate extra income as part-time or gig workers. The change, recognising the surging popularity of bike taxi services, is also aimed at improving access to last-mile and low-cost connectivity in cities, and could see thousands of riders added to aggregators’ fleets.

Under the proposed rules, taxi aggregator platforms will receive fixed quotas of daily and weekly passes that they can issue to bike owners. These temporary passes will have a fixed cost and can be renewed if needed. Operating with such a permit would introduce accountability and transparency for bike owners, and promote a standard fare structure as well as safety guardrails for riders.

Ride hailing platforms such as Uber, Ola and Rapido have faced suspension of bike taxi services due to alleged non-compliance with the existing Maharashtra E-Bike Taxi Rules, 2025, that mandate the use of electric bikes. In addition, state Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik highlighted complaints about women’s safety, when announcing the cancellation of provisional permits for these platforms in March this year. Other states such as Karnataka have also set their own policies, lifting bans on bike taxis as public demand for them has remained high.