Are Bike Taxis Legal in Pune? Rapido Licence Status Explained as Auto Unions Meet in Alandi on November 15
Rapido has no bike taxi licence in Pune and an FIR is filed. Auto and taxi unions meet in Alandi on 15 November to plan a statewide stir. Explained.
Photo: Universalashic / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pune, 15th November 2026: No. As of 15 November 2026, no company holds a licence to run bike taxis in Pune. Rapido’s application is still pending, the district transport authority has ordered it to stop, and police have registered an FIR against its parent company. Auto and taxi unions meet in Alandi on Sunday, 15 November, to plan a statewide protest.
The short answer for riders: an app ride on a two-wheeler in Pune today is not an approved service, and it may not carry the insurance and safety checks that licensed autos and cabs must have.
What the Alandi meeting on November 15 is about
Auto-rickshaw, taxi and cab driver unions from across Maharashtra are due to meet at 11 am on Sunday at the Samasta Harale Vaishnav Samaj Dharamshala, opposite the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj temple in Alandi, Punekar News reported.
The meeting was called by Dr Baba Kamble, national president of the Auto Taxi Transport Federation of India and founder president of the Maharashtra Rickshaw Panchayat. According to the report, the unions want:
- a ban on unauthorised bike taxis and action against the companies running them
- rules on how app-based aggregators set fares
- a working welfare corporation for drivers, which the state has announced but not set up
- action on alleged corruption in licence renewal and vehicle fitness checks
- proper parking stands for rickshaws
The unions may decide on a protest march, a sit-in or a non-cooperation movement. No strike date has been announced yet. We will update this story after the meeting.
Are bike taxis allowed anywhere in Maharashtra?
On paper, yes, but only electric ones with a licence. In July 2025, Maharashtra notified rules that allowed electric bike taxis and barred petrol two-wheelers from the service, MediaNama reported.
In September 2025, Ola, Uber and Rapido got 30-day provisional licences to move to electric fleets. On 9 March 2026, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik announced that those licences had been revoked, citing petrol bikes, missing documents and complaints of harassment of women riders.
Sarnaik called the revocation temporary and said new permits could be considered if the companies met the rules.
Rapido in Pune: what happened in October
Rapido resumed bike taxi rides in Pune on 7 October 2026, while its aggregator licence application, filed on 11 August, was still pending with the state transport department. The same day, the state ordered all aggregators to go fully electric by July 2027.
Then, according to MediaNama, which cited The Times of India:
- On 15 October, Collector Jitendra Dudi, who chairs the Regional Transport Authority, ordered Rapido to suspend bike taxis until it gets a licence.
- On 16 October, RTO inspectors booked a decoy ride. A petrol two-wheeler registered for private use arrived.
- Police then registered an FIR against Roppen Transportation Services, Rapido’s parent company, at Vishrantwadi police station.
- Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said police had written to Google and Apple asking them to remove the Rapido app.
Earlier, in September, Pune RTO officer Archana Gaikwad had confirmed that Uber and Rapido had both applied to run e-bike taxis in Pune, The Bridge Chronicle reported. The RTO’s inspection report goes to the State Transport Authority, which makes the final decision.
What this means if you take a bike taxi in Pune
A two-wheeler on private (white) number plates carrying paying passengers is not a licensed transport vehicle. If there is an accident, insurance claims can become difficult, because private vehicle policies usually do not cover commercial use.
Licensed alternatives are autos (meter or app), cabs and PMPML buses. For short hops from Metro stations, PMPML now runs feeder buses, including new routes on Metro Line 3. You can compare costs in our Pune auto fare chart.
Why autos and cabs are protesting again
This is not the first protest. Pune auto and cab drivers protested against bike taxis on 3 November. Drivers say bike taxis take short trips that make up much of an auto’s daily earnings, without paying for permits, fitness checks or commercial insurance.
What is still not known
The state has not said when it will decide on Rapido’s and Uber’s pending applications, or whether the Alandi meeting will lead to a strike date. We will update this explainer when either happens.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rapido bike taxi legal in Pune?
No. Rapido has no bike taxi licence in Pune, the Regional Transport Authority has ordered it to suspend the service, and an FIR has been filed.
Are electric bike taxis allowed in Maharashtra?
State rules from July 2025 allow electric bike taxis, but only for companies with a licence. All provisional licences were revoked in March 2026.
Is there an auto strike in Pune on November 15?
No strike has been announced. Unions are meeting in Alandi on 15 November to decide on a possible statewide agitation.
Where can I complain about an illegal bike taxi in Pune?
You can report it to the Pune RTO or the Pune Traffic Police, with the vehicle number and the time of the ride.
