The Bombay High Court Today (Aug 4) dismissed a plea by Thane auto drivers claiming bike taxis like Rapido were hurting their livelihood. The court said their “fundamental right is not affected” and advised them to stop refusing passengers.
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MAHARASHTRA: The Bombay High Court on Monday refused to take up a petition filed by four auto-rickshaw drivers from Thane who alleged that bike taxis operated by companies like Rapido were running illegally in the city.
The drivers claimed these bike taxis were using private white number plates instead of commercial yellow plates, which was against the law and damaging their livelihood.
A Bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale made it clear that the presence of bike taxis did not violate the petitioners’ right to earn a living.
After hearing the court’s observations, the petitioners decided to withdraw their case.
The court directly questioned the drivers, saying:
“How does this affect your livelihood? This will stop only when you stop refusing to take 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.”
The judges also noted:
“Your fundamental right is not affected at all. 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.”
The petitioners had argued that according to current laws, only vehicles registered as commercial vehicles with the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and displaying yellow number plates can operate as taxis.
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They claimed that when they booked rides through the Rapido app, bikes with white number plates – meant for private use – arrived.
The drivers said this violated their fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19(1)(g), and 21 of the Constitution of India.
However, the State’s lawyer, Additional Government Pleader Prachi Tatake, told the court that the authorities were already taking action against illegally operating bike taxis.
Taking note of this, the court said there was no reason to continue with the case and stated:
“Today, we are not going to stop. The question is about implementation of government notification. If there is any illegality, let them take action.”
The court also allowed the drivers to approach the State government with any complaints about illegal bike taxi operations.
This matter came into the spotlight recently after Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik had a dispute with an illegal bike taxi operator near Mantralaya in Mumbai. Following the incident, the State Home Department issued a notification on July 4, 2025, called the Maharashtra Bike-Taxi Rules, 2025.
Under these new rules, electric bike taxis are allowed to operate across Maharashtra, but aggregator companies must first obtain a valid licence.
According to RTO officials, several companies, including Rapido and Uber, have already applied for the required licences under these rules.
CASE TITLE:
Amarjeet Rajnath Gupta vs State of Maharashtra
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