BENGALURU: Ever wondered why you never saw your Rapido captain wearing their own T-shirt? That’s because interestingly, they are hiding behind other aggregators’ uniform. Try booking a ride through the mobile application and voila, find a Swiggy rider in front of you as your captain. Now, that does not make bike taxis legal.
Though enforcement is a continuous process, there are loopholes that allow bike taxis to run illegally. Riders hiding their identity with the help of other aggregators is one of the many ways through which the service has been running. “One of the main issues is that we are short-staffed,” said CP Narayana Swamy, Additional Commissioner (Enforcement).
A transport official stated that many of these unregistered bike companies have tie-ups with certain hotels and even use them as pick-up spots. “400 taxis have been seized. We are yet to identify them,” he added.
The official stated that Rapido blocks phone numbers of enforcement officers on the ground to prevent them from booking rides. Not only that, but the company has also been receiving tips from sources within the department on the officers’ whereabouts. “If an officer is functioning at Koramangala, the company immediately blocks their service in that area so the officer cannot book any ride,” the official added.
The Regional Transport Office, Koramangala, had registered a case with the cybercrime police in April seeking total shutdown of Rapido app. However, the cops have sent an endorsement stating that action cannot be taken as it is not a violation of the IT Act.
When asked about riders hiding their identity, L Narendra Holkar, additional commissioner of the transport department said, “They take deviation when enforcement is done. But there is very little that we can do since the court has taken up the case.”