Maharashtra approves minimum fare for bike taxis at Rs 15 for 1.5 km pending launch

Mumbai, Sep 15 (PTI) The State Transport Authority (STA) in Maharashtra has approved a minimum fare for bike taxis at Rs 15 for 1.5 kms, officials said on Monday, even though the service is yet to be rolled out.

Passengers will have to pay Rs 10.27 per km for the service, officials said.

Earlier this year, the state government granted permission to operate bike taxis and bike pooling services in cities with a population of more than one lakh, and also issued a GR.

The state government also issued a notification on "Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules, 2025" on July 4, 2024.

The STA, chaired by state Transport Secretary Sanjay Sethi, approved the fares in a meeting held on August 18, and they will be applicable across the state, an official from a regional transport office (RTO) said.

As minutes of the STA meeting are signed now, the fare has been declared.

The transport authority has fixed the fare for bike taxis using the formula devised by the Khatua panel, which has been in use to derive rates for autorickshaws and taxis, the official added.

Although not launched officially, bike taxi services are being operated illegally.

According to the state transport department, the RTOs have registered cases against 123 bike taxis operating in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. PTI KK ARU