Beware Rapido Captains! No commercial vehicle permit might lead you into trouble

Guwahati: The District Transport Officer (DTO) Bapon Kalita on Tuesday informed that the department will soon take action against Rapido-Bike Taxi operators for allegedly running in the city without valid documents under Motor Vehicle Act, 1988.

Kalita also informed that strict action will be taken against the company if they fail to submit their valid documents within the next 3 days.

Officer Kalita also revealed that Rapido or other Bike Taxi services in the city take all the passengers without availing any commercial license or commercial permit from the DTO.

Kalita expressing that further stated that if the government does not resolve this issue at an early date, then there might be several cases of Road Accident, Molestation, Misbehavior, etc.

It may also be mentioned that the Department might also lodge an FIR against the Rapido captains if they continue their service without availing proper documents within the stipulated time period.

The DTO will be launching an operation against the Rapido captains from August 27, 2019 onwards. Rapido-Bike Taxi was launched in Guwahati on December 17, 2018 and was inaugurated by Guwahati Development Department (GDD) Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya.

It may be mentioned that in Goa, India, motorcycle taxis are required to be licensed. Driven by men called pilots, they are much cheaper than other taxis, although a passenger can only carry a backpack as luggage. As per reports, in some parts of the state, motorcycle drivers are legally required to wear helmets, but any passengers riding pillion are not. Motorcycle taxis can usually be identified by their distinctive yellow and black colours.

In the last few years, a few companies have come up in multiple cities in India providing bike taxi services. With the Central Government's rule of allowing two-wheelers as legal and commercial vehicles and 8 states already legalized the same, it has become easier for the companies to design a working framework to provide easy and comfortable commute to the people.

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