- Maharashtra government has denied claims that all Ola and Uber services are completely shut down
- Only bike taxi services on these platforms face a ban in the state
- Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has directed FIRs against bike taxi apps
The Maharashtra government on Saturday debunked claims of ride-hailing services including Ola and Uber being completely shut down in the state.
In a post on X, the Maharashtra Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) said that the claims circulating on social media were "misleading".
"The claim circulating on social media that all services of Ola, Uber, and Rapido have been completely shut down in Maharashtra is misleading," it said.
A post circulating on social media platforms had earlier claimed that the Maharashtra government was moving towards completely banning Ola, Uber and Rapido services across the state.
The government clarified that a ban on only bike taxi services was being imposed.
The clarification comes after Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Saturday directed the Cyber Crime department to lodge FIRs against Ola, Uber and Rapido over alleged illegal bike taxi operations in the state.
"Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has written to the Cyber Crime department demanding the immediate shutdown of unauthorised bike taxi app services like Ola, Uber, and Rapido, and the filing of FIRs against the respective company owners," the Maharashtra DGIPR said in its post.
In his letter to the department on Tuesday, Sarnaik noted that app-based bikes do not adhere to safety regulations and pose serious threat to public safety.
He further flagged lack of adequate safeguards for passengers using bike taxi services, verification, insurance cover, women's safety measures and emergency response systems.
"Several complaints have been received from women, and FIRs have also been registered in cases of alleged harassment and fraud. In such a situation, if they misuse their influence and operate illegally, and if the RTO department does not take action, then that is clearly wrong," Sarnaik told reporters later.
Ola, Uber and Rapido are yet to comment on the development officially.
Bike taxi services have faced operational hurdles in Maharashtra multiple times, with the government flagging concerns over legality, licensing norms and compliance with transport regulations.
