Petrol bike taxis allowed for now, firms get nine months to switch to electric

The state government has given relief to app-based passenger transport companies. Petrol-run bike taxis have been treated as authorised for the time being. The companies have been granted a special extension of nine months in all to convert all vehicles in their fleets to 100 per cent electric. No penal or legal action will be taken against the companies during this period.

For companies that have taken a temporary licence under the Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules 2025, the extension will come in two phases: the first of six months and the second of three months. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has given formal approval. The Transport Department has sent the orders on this to the state's Transport Commissioner.

Eight private and cooperative companies, including major app-based firms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido, have so far applied for licences. Citing the limits of e-bikes and inadequate charging facilities, the companies had sought extra time from the Transport Department. The department then prepared a proposal and sent it to the Chief Minister for final approval.

All applications and documents received are currently being scrutinised. After this legal process is complete, a formal decision on the final licences for these companies will be taken at a meeting of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA). The decision has come as major relief to thousands of bike taxi riders who currently ride petrol vehicles. It has also cleared the way for the full electrification of the public transport sector in the coming period.

It is also worth looking at what the riders and companies had demanded. In September, the Maharashtra Bike Taxi Welfare Association wrote to the Chief Minister, the state Transport Minister and the Transport Commissioner. It had asked for a minimum of one and a half years to move the entire fleet to electric vehicles.

Association president Amit Gawde had explained that most riders working in the sector come from middle-class or upper-middle-class families. Buying expensive electric vehicles all of a sudden is therefore financially very difficult for them. He had also drawn attention to the lack of charging infrastructure in the state and the relatively short life of electric vehicles.

On the other hand, aggregator companies had cited the Maharashtra Electric Vehicle Policy and sought an extension until 2030. After all these demands, the state government has given nine months.