India Set to Legalise Two Wheeler Taxis?
I saw bike or two wheeler taxis for the first time during my travel to Goa. It is available in Goa for few years now but it was mostly run by individual drivers. You can find them at bike taxi stands. The two wheeler taxis launched in Gurgaon ( now Gurugram) are more organized as they are managed by a company. They operate similarly on the lines of taxi aggregators like Ola, Uber etc.
Source: Bikxie.com
As of now Rideji, Baxi, Bikxie, M-taxi and UberMoto operates in Gurgaon. There is definitely a market for two wheeler taxis which saves in terms of money and time. Also, it will improve last mile connectivity for commuters. For example metro train users in Gurgaon will have another option of two wheeler taxis to hire. Operators like Rideji and Baxi did not provide any info on who are running these companies. This is little strange and dents confidence on using their service.
In Bangalore both Ola and Uber launched two wheeler taxis under the name Ola Bike and UberMoto respectively. However, they did not apply for license and the state government seized some of their two wheelers. Following this they suspended the service. Karnataka government says they can run two wheeler taxis but they first need to obtain license in this regard. The amendment in the central law will come handy. The Times of India says government aims to add the following items to the existing law:
Only those two-wheelers that are registered as commercial vehicles will be allowed to ply as taxis. Only drivers with commercial licence will be able to ferry people. The ministry is planning to come up with a separate set of safety guidelines that include mandating pillion riders to wear a helmet along with a reflector jacket.
Many startups and established players are waiting for the transport regulator to give the green signal. Once, approved we will have another mode of transport.