Ola, Rapido, Uber drivers on bike taxi ban in Delhi I Plight of bike drivers in national capital
Bike Taxi Ban: Delhi is not only the national capital, but also a “dream capital” for millions of people who descend on the city with endless hopes of better employment opportunities and ultimately a better life. Only a few produce what they covet. We are among those who don’t provide two meals a day for our children, quality education for our children, for which we are the ones,” said Ram Singh (name changed for identification by his employer), who drives a black two-wheeler. Working tirelessly. -Wheelers on busy Delhi-Noida roads. Despite working more than 12 hours a day in all weathers, we can hardly afford a basic toy for our children.
His scathing remarks came after the Delhi Transport Department issued a public notice to Ola, Uber and Rapido to stop bike taxi services in the capital with immediate effect, citing violations of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
“If it is feeding more than 20 thousand families, how can the government ban it?”
Hailing from Sitapur district in neighboring Uttar Pradesh, Singh is not aware of the laws the Delhi government has imposed on thousands of “bike taxi” drivers. He lamented that why the government has banned their bike taxi services in the national capital when it is feeding more than 20 thousand families.
“The government has banned taxi aggregators like Ola, Uber and Rapido,” said Singh, who is in his 40s and lives in a 400-square meter rented house in Noida Sector 82 with his two children and wife. , despite the fact that companies are providing jobs to more than 20,000-30,000 people in Delhi and the neighboring Noida region.” “If they are really concerned about laws and morality, why don’t they ban the sale of liquor as it can kill consumers and has the potential to turn society into hell,” Singh asked.
There has been a significant reduction in earnings
When asked how he got attached to Rapido and his monthly earnings, he regretted his decision to choose bike taxi service as his profession. Driving his two-wheeler from Sector 82 to Mayur Vihar Phase-1, Singh said that he lost his job due to the Covid-19 epidemic. After this, he left no other option and arranged a bank loan to buy a two-wheeler. At first, he said that he was earning Rs 15,000-18,000 but after the ban, his earnings reduced to Rs 9,000-12,000. Singh said that it was almost impossible to run a family of four with such a meager income.
“How does the government ban so indiscriminately?”
Expressing similar concerns about his future, Abhishek Tiwari, who is in his 30s and has been with Ola for the past three years, said his situation is even worse as he has to pay around Rs 4,000-5,000. The amount has to be sent to his family living here. the village “I got a two-wheeler on loan which took me almost three years to clear the bank loan. I am married with two children. I used to work in a shop but my friends joined bike taxis to earn a bit. A little extra. Initially, I used to earn around Rs 1,500-2,000 per day, but now, it has reduced to Rs 700-800,” said Tiwari.
“If the company has started bike taxi services, the government should have banned it. But, when it employs more than 20,000 people in the national capital alone, how can they ban it so blindly?” asked a 30-year-old bike taxi “captain”.
Bike taxi is not allowed in Delhi?
Asked about his demands to the Delhi government, Tiwari said (CM Arvind) Kejriwal should immediately take up the issue and amend the policy to protect the lives of thousands of people like us. “Delhi mein daru pe kase sarkar took decision.. from that log marte hai… aur yahan hamari aur parivar dono ki jaan pe ban ai hai.. yet sarkar koi farf ni pata.. (How is Delhi? Govt. has changed the liquor policy… people drink and die.. but here, it’s our question and thousands of families who depend on cycle captains.
Why did Delhi ban bike taxi services?
According to the Delhi government, bike taxis – with private bikes (white number plates) – are increasingly being operated by “captains” without any commercial licence. Therefore, it violates the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 which states that a commercial vehicle must have a “yellow number plate” and the driver must also possess a commercial license.
Also, for aggregators, the 2019 amendment to the Act mandates that the company cannot operate without a valid license. “It has been brought to notice that two-wheelers bearing non-transport (private) registration marks/numbers are being used to carry passengers on hire, which is a purely commercial activity and is against the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. is a violation.” The transport department has said in the notice.
Is the government planning to amend the law?
In a microblogging post, Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot confirmed that the Arvind Kejriwal-led government is working on 2W (two-wheelers), 3W (three-wheelers) and 4W (aggregator policy for four-wheelers). has been Gehlot said that the policy making work is in final stage and will be implemented soon.
What will be the next step for the aggregator?
As of writing this article, neither Ola nor Rapido have responded to queries sent through e-mail. It will be updated as companies respond to emails.
Also Read: Ola, Uber, Dunzo Reported as Worst Platforms: Know-Why?
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