MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Wednesday sought a response from the state government on a PIL filed seeking a comprehensive regulatory framework governing aggregators who offer bike taxi services in Tamil Nadu.
R Naveen Kumar of Madurai stated in the petition that app-based bike taxi services operated through digital aggregators such as Rapido, Ola, Uber, etc., have become an integral part of the transport ecosystem and serve as a primary source of livelihood for students and unemployed youth from economically weaker sections of the community. However, the state government’s failure to notify a specific scheme for such use of motorcycles for hire has created a critical regulatory vacuum, affecting the life and safety of passengers as well as the rights and livelihood of bike taxi drivers, Kumar claimed.
Moreover, the above app-based aggregator platforms are being allowed to operate without any geo-restriction or penalty, while the individual drivers alone face fines, vehicle seizure, and criminal prosecution, he added.
He requested the court to direct the state to impose appropriate geo-restrictions on the aggregators and further enact a comprehensive regulatory framework permitting registration of two-wheelers, which carry passengers for hire, as transport vehicles and grant proper permits for their lawful operation. A bench of justices N Sathish Kumar and R Jothiraman directed the state government to file a counter affidavit and adjourned the case to April 8.