All bike taxis to go off road as state govt scraps permits

Mumbai: The state govt has cancelled the temporary licences issued to app-based aggregators Uber, Ola and Rapido to operate e-bike taxi services after finding that the companies had failed to submit required documents and comply with licence conditions, transport minister Pratap Sarnaik told the legislative council on Monday.He also announced a statewide crackdown on illegal petrol bike taxis, saying authorities have been directed to seize such vehicles and register criminal cases against operators and companies where violations are detected. The minister said many petrol bikes - including several registered outside Maharashtra - were being used instead of permitted electric bikes and were also employing riders from outside the state, reports Chittaranjan Tembhekar.