Bombay HC Rejects Thane Auto Drivers’ Plea Against Rapido Bike Taxis, Cites No Violation Of Fundamental Rights

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday refused to entertain a petition by four Thane-based auto rickshaw drivers alleging that aggregators like Rapido were illegally plying in the city using non-transport number plates, thereby affecting their livelihood.

The court noted that fundamental rights of petitioners was not affected by the presence of bike taxis. Following this, the petitioners withdrew the petition.

Bike Taxis Not a Threat to Livelihood, Says HC

Chastising the petitioners, a bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Neela Gokhale said that such a situation would stop if auto drivers stop refusing to ferry passengers.

It said : “How does this affect your livelihood? This will stop only when you stop refusing to ferry people. We have seen on the streets how taxi drivers and rickshaw drivers treat customers, their tone, their high-handedness. Each one of us has faced this.”

Emphasizing that their fundamental rights were not affected, the bench remarked: “So many taxis enter the market every year. Tomorrow, you will say taxi drivers should not ply at all, or that the Metro should not come at all. The government is competent to take decisions.”

Petition Withdrawn After Court Remarks

The petitioners argued that under current laws, only vehicles registered with the Regional Transport Office (RTO) as commercial vehicles and displaying yellow number plates are permitted to operate as taxis.

They claimed that when they booked rides through the Rapido application, the bikes that showed up had white number plates, indicating private, non-transport vehicles.

Additional Government Pleader Prachi Tatke informed the court that action was being taken against illegally operating bike taxis.

The court took note of this and said there was no reason to entertain the plea. It added that the government could take action if there was any illegality. However, it granted liberty to the petitioners to make a representation to the state against such illegal activities.

The state home department had issued a notification on July 4 — Maharashtra Bike-Taxi Rules, 2025. The rules formalise electric bike-taxi operations across the State and require aggregator companies to obtain a valid license before offering services.

According to RTO officials, several companies, including Rapido and Uber, have already applied for the necessary licences.