The Union government told Rajya Sabha that bike taxis lack legal status under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, with Nitin Gadkari citing 2025 aggregator guidelines enabling states to regulate such services.
NEW DELHI: The Union government has clarified that “bike taxis” are not defined under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and therefore do not have a separate legal status under central law.
Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on March 18, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari noted that although the term is not statutorily recognised, the Centre has issued the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, which offer a framework for state governments to regulate aggregators, including those operating two-wheeler taxis.
The guidelines allow state governments to permit aggregation of transport and non-transport motorcycles for passenger journeys within shared mobility systems. The government said this approach could help cut congestion and pollution, improve affordability, and create livelihood opportunities.
The Centre also stated that it does not keep dedicated data on bike taxis. Instead, it uses the Vahan database for registered two-wheeler transport vehicles, which recorded 16,736 in 2023, 19,509 in 2024, 20,111 in 2025 and 1,706 up to January 2026.
Accident statistics are not tracked separately for bike taxis, the response added. The ministry provided aggregated figures for all two-wheelers, showing total accidents rose from 43,922 in 2023 to 51,521 in 2025, with the number of persons involved reaching 1,69,641 in 2025.
The government further pointed out that enforcement of transport and road safety laws is the responsibility of state governments and union territories.
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