The Pune case underscores the continuing regulatory challenges facing bike-taxi aggregators, whose operations depend on state-level licensing and rules governing the commercial use of two-wheelers.
| Photo Credit:
SUDHAKARA JAIN
Ride-hailing company Rapido, operated by Roppen Transportation Services Pvt Ltd, has been booked by Pune Police for allegedly running bike-taxi services without the required licences and regulatory approvals, according to an FIR registered at Vishrantwadi police station on October 16.
The FIR alleges that Rapido used its app to facilitate paid passenger rides on two-wheelers registered as non-transport vehicles. The action follows regulatory scrutiny of the company’s operations in Pune, where its licence application was rejected in December 2022.
Rapido challenged the rejection before the Bombay High Court, which directed the company to stop operating its app in January 2023. The Supreme Court, in February 2023, allowed the company to approach the High Court to challenge Maharashtra’s notification prohibiting the use of non-transport vehicles for aggregation and ride pooling.
The case comes amid continuing uncertainty over bike-taxi regulations across states. In Karnataka, the High Court in April 2025 directed aggregators, including Rapido, to suspend bike-taxi operations unless the state framed the necessary regulatory framework. The services were subsequently paused.
In January 2026, however, a division bench of the Karnataka High Court set aside the ban, allowing bike taxis to operate subject to applicable legal permissions and licences. The Karnataka government later challenged the ruling in the Supreme Court, keeping the regulatory question alive.
The Pune case underscores the continuing regulatory challenges facing bike-taxi aggregators, whose operations depend on state-level licensing and rules governing the commercial use of two-wheelers.
Published on October 17, 2026
