Pune auto, cab unions to protest on Oct 28 and Nov 2 against Rapido bike taxis

Autorickshaw and cab unions in Pune have announced protests on October 28 and November 2 against Rapido's bike taxi service. The unions say orders to shut down the service have already been issued, yet it continues to run on the app. On Monday, union leaders warned that the agitation would be intensified if the service was not removed from the app.

Rickshaw Panchayat, the city's largest autorickshaw union, will hold its protest on October 28. The Baghtoy Rickshawala union and the Indian Gig Workers Front have called a demonstration outside the Pune Collector's office on November 2.

Keshav Kshirsagar, president of Baghtoy Rickshawala and the Indian Gig Workers Front, said union members met officials of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) on Monday but did not get a proper response. According to him, a large number of autorickshaw drivers and cab operators from Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad are expected to join the November 2 demonstration. This could affect services available to commuters.

The protests come as action against Rapido's bike taxis widens. Earlier this month, the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) had warned of strict action if the company continued to operate without the required permission. The authority had also directed Rapido to stop operations until it obtained the required licence, and had warned of action under the Motor Vehicles Act.

An FIR was registered against Rapido on October 26. Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said requests have been sent to Google and Apple to remove the bike taxi service from their app platforms.

On Monday, Pune Regional Transport Officer Archana Gaikwad appealed to people not to use Rapido's bike taxi service. She also cautioned two-wheeler owners against registering their vehicles on the platform. She said the company does not hold the aggregator licence required to run bike taxis in Pune district.