Bike taxis hit streets as Mumbai tests new commute option

With Maharashtra clearing bike taxis and granting licences to Ola Uber and Rapido midday tested rides across Mumbai Thane and Navi Mumbai to gauge preparednessIn Mumbai riders obeyed traffic rules but skipped carrying second helmets citing no company instructions and passenger hygiene concerns Apps offered panic buttons and alerts but promised features like partition boards were absent In Dombivli riders navigated rougher roads without violations but echoed the same helmet issueCommuters preferred their own helmets while riders admitted confusion over insurance commissions and liability Despite approval gaps persist in safety gear training earnings hygiene and legality With the government fixing a base fare of R15 for 15 km this correspondent tried booking through Rapido Ola and Uber Only Uber offered a working optionReporter Amarjeet SinghArrival 13 minutesapp showed 3 min delayeddue to rainunfamiliar areaFare Rs 2850 Ulwe Sector 17 to Sector 19 paid Rs 36 owing to some confusionRide Rider asked passenger for route guidance to the destinationHelmet Only one no clarity on company rulesConcerns Insurance commissions possible police actionPersonal Riding out of ldquomajboorirdquo to pay motherrsquos hospital billsReporter Shirish VaktaniaRoute Dadar railway station to Mahim railway stationDuration 112 minutesFare Rs 37Ride Safe polite friendly riderHelmet Carried extra but passengers often refused to wear one over hygiene issuesPersonal Left previous job fulltime with Rapido sole breadwinner of familyUber Bike rider on Sahar RoadBandra East routeReporter Madhulika Ram KavatturArrival ImmediateFare Rs 9997 DGCA WR Office Sahar Road to Bandra EastDuration 26 minutes 69 kmRide Safe speed followed traffic rulesHelmet No extra helmet cited hygiene concernsAttitude Courteous asked if female passenger was comfortable with a male riderNavi MumbaiUber Bike rider Avinash Sawant in Ulwe Navi MumbaiRide 1Reporter Amarjeet SinghRoute Ulwe Sector 17 to Sector 19Fare Rs 2850 Rs 36 paidDuration 6 minutesRider Avinash Sawant 26The rider arrived late citing rain and unfamiliarity with the route Sawant had just registered with Uber ldquoI started this out of majboori My mother is admitted at DY Patil Hospital and I need moneyrdquo he said He was using his own bike and helmet but was unclear about insurance commissions and police action During the trip he asked the passenger to guide him as he did not know the way At the end he appeared confused about the payment process mdash the app showed R2850 but he asked how much to charge so Rs 36 was paid Sawant was also unaware of hygiene protocols such as whether helmets should be shared across passengers raising further safety concernsThanendashDombivliOlarsquos twowheeler service went live quietly in the suburbs This correspondent booked an Ola Bike while commuting from Panvel to ThaneOla Bike rider Dinesh Junail in DombivliRide 2Reporter Shrikant Kuperkar Route Dombivli East to Gandhi NagarFare Rs 41Duration Noted as smooth and timelyRider Dinesh Junail from KalyanJunail arrived in under five minutes and was upbeat ldquoThis is a great opportunity mdash people can avoid crowded buses or haggling with autosrdquo On helmets he admitted most passengers refuse to wear a shared one due to hygiene concerns ldquoSo we donrsquot insistrdquo he said The ride was smooth with no rash driving On possible backlash from auto drivers Junail dismissed the fear ldquoWersquore just earning a living No bhaigiri hererdquoMumbaiRapido rider Sahil Shaikh with passenger in MumbaiRide 3Reporter Shirish Vaktania Route Mahim Railway Station to Phoenix Mall Lower ParelFare Rs 84Duration 172 minutes 58 kmRider Sahil ShaikhShaikh runs a car service and works parttime as a Rapido rider ldquoI am earning a good income from Rapido But Rapido should provide us with uniforms which would help passengers identify usrdquo he said He did not carry a second helmet citing lack of space The reporter found Shaikh careful following signals and reaching the destination safely He arrived within 7 mins called in advance and politely requested not to cancel the rideRapido rider Praveen Singh with passenger in MumbaiRide 4Reporter Shirish Vaktania Route Phoenix Mall Lower Parel to Dadar Railway StationFare Rs 40Duration 84 minutesRider Praveen Singh fish supplierSingh supplies fish to restaurants across the city and uses Rapido parttime for extra income He said he doesnrsquot need a uniform as this is only supplementary work The reporter noted that Singh rode safely He arrivedafter 12 minutes due to traffic near Mahalaxmi Racecourse but kept in touch over phone The app details mdash bike number and rider photo mdash matched and the ride required OTP verification before startingRapido rider Siddhesh Kaisare during a ride in MumbaiRide 5Reporter Shirish Vaktania Route Dadar Railway Station to Mahim Railway StationFare Rs 37Duration 112 minutesRider Siddhesh KaisareKaisare quit his previous job and has been working fulltime with Rapido for two months ldquoIf Rapido gives us uniforms it will create a good impression I left my job because Irsquom earning well here Itrsquos my duty to drop the pillion rider safelyrdquo he saidHis family depends entirely on his incomeThe reporter found him polite and safe in riding Kaisare carried a second helmet though most passengers refused it due to hygiene concernsThe reporter also tried to book an Ola bike at Dadar but could not find any ridersThe rider did not want to be identifiedRide 6Reporter Madhulika Ram KavatturRoute Milan Subway to DGCA WR Office Sahar RoadFare Rs 60Duration 15 minutes 48 kmRider Uber BikeThis rider jumped a red light once but otherwise rode steadily He said ldquoUber has not given us any specifications about carrying an extra helmetrdquo He explained riders keep 90 per cent of fare while Uber takes 10 per cent On a Rs 60 ride he earns Rs 54The rider did not want to be identifiedRide 7Reporter Madhulika Ram KavatturRoute DGCA WR Office Sahar Road to RNA Corporate Park Bandra EastFare Rs 9997Duration 26 minutes 69 kmRider Uber BikeThis rider followed all traffic rules and was safe He was courteous asking this female reporter if she was comfortable riding with a male rider He did not carry a second helmet citing hygiene issues ldquoIt would be difficult to maintain hygiene if one helmet is given to all passengersrdquo he saidCommon observationsgtgtThe apps have a safety button similar to taxis and autos which allows passengers to contact police or helplinesgtgtThe apps also send alerts if a ride appears stuck at the same location for too longgtgtWhile companies have spoken of installing partition boards between rider and passenger the reporter found no such facility in placegtgtThough traffic rules mandate pillion riders to wear helmets both riders said their apps gave no instructions to carry an extra helmetgtgtHygiene concerns remain the biggest reason why helmets are not carried or offeredgtgtDuring Mumbai rains drivers said they only get bookings when passengers bring their own raincoats ldquoWe get very few bookings and mostly from people prepared to ride in the rainrdquo one rider saidGuidelines for biketaxisThe state govtrsquos new biketaxi policy lays down strict conditions for operators covering licensing safety design and service normsOperators must maintain a minimum fleet of 50 electric twowheelers to launch services All drivers must be aged between 20 and 50 possess a commercial licence and PSV badge and undergo police verification annual health checks and regular safety trainingServices will be strictly appbased with no street hailing allowed and each ride capped at 15 km Bikes must be painted yellow with reflective ldquoBikeTaxirdquo markings fitted with GPS tracking and linked to a 24x7 control room Operators are also required to provide clean yellow helmets to passengersFor safety apps must include an SOS feature and women passengers will have the option to book women drivers Any violation of the rules can lead to suspension of licence forfeiture of deposits and offboarding of errant driversKey highlightsFleet Requirement Minimum 50 electric biketaxis per operatorLicensing Norms Licence from the RegionalState Transport Authority R1 lakh application fee R5 lakh security depositSafety First Drivers aged 20ndash50 commercial licence PSV badge police verification annual health checks regular safety trainingService Conditions Appbased booking only maximum 15 km trip distance no street hailingDesign Yellowpainted bikes with reflective ldquoBikeTaxirdquo markings GPS tracking 24x7 control room hygienic yellow helmets for passengersPassenger Safety Women passengers can opt for women riders a mandatory SOS button on appsStrict Compliance Rule violations can result in licence suspension deposit forfeiture and driver removalBy Rajendra B Aklekar