Why is traffic police fining Rapido/bike taxis when they literally solve Mumbai’s last-mile commute crisis?
I need to vent and honestly understand the logic here. I use Rapido daily to commute to and from work. For me, it has been an absolute lifesaver. Price-wise, it costs almost the same as a rickshaw, but it has two massive benefits:
Zero rejection/waiting time: Before switching to bike taxis, I’d spend ages (sometimes literally an hour) stranded on the road during peak hours, watching empty autos speed past or flat-out refuse to go to my destination. With the app, I book, a rider accepts, and the job gets done.
Traffic navigation: Let’s be real—weaving through Mumbai traffic on a bike gets you to your destination way faster than a three-wheeler or a cab ever could.
Yet, over the last few weeks, I’ve seen traffic police pulling over Rapido captains and slapping them with heavy fines. Just today the rider was petrified and was actively avoiding traffic police because of the fines imposed on his fellow riders. Riding a bike taxi is 10 times better and safer than an auto rickshaw carrying 6 people (including driver). These so called share rickshaws operate without any fines or issues because
You already know....
If the bike taxis are actively solving a major public transit problem for single commuters, why exactly are they penalizing it?
I understand the legal and safety arguments, but it feels like the government is banning a solution before providing a viable alternative to the auto-rickshaw mafia and the endless peak-hour rejections.