Uber, Ola might stop operations in Pune from September 2
What's the story
Cab aggregators, including major players like Uber and Ola, could face a ban on their operations in Pune starting September 2. This comes if they fail to comply with the new cab aggregator policy of Maharashtra. The state's transport minister Pratap Sarnaik has set a deadline of September 1 for these companies to get permanent licenses or face action.
Licensing
Only Rapido has sought license for cab operations in Pune
Pune's Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Archana Gaikwad confirmed to TOI that Uber and Rapido have applied for licenses to operate bike taxis.
However, only Rapido has sought a license for cab operations in Pune so far.
Gaikwad stressed that a permanent license would only be granted if all the requirements under the new policy are met by these companies.
Registration limit
New policy also caps number of vehicles per platform
The new policy has also drawn objections from aggregators over the cap on vehicles that can be registered on a single app platform.
For Pune, Mumbai, Nashik, and Nagpur, the limit is set at 50 vehicles per app platform. In other parts of Maharashtra, it remains 25.
Sarnaik said Bharat Taxi was the only platform to have received a permanent license under this policy.
Scrutiny alert
Action against aggregators likely
Gaikwad has warned that the scrutiny of applications would be rigorous with the September 1 deadline approaching.
She said, "A robust scrutiny of documents would take time. With just a week to go before the deadline, if state govt directed us to take action against the cabs operating under the said platforms from Sept 2, it would happen."
Currently, aggregators are operating under provisional licenses issued by RTO.