India’s bike taxi crackdown: Who’s paying the price?

Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik stopped a bike-taxi rider violating the ban and handed him a ₹500 note. But the issue runs deeper.

Transcript

00:00Let me give this Rs.500 order mark.

00:02Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik booked a bike taxi himself

00:05and caught hold of a rider violating the state's ban on non-electric two-wheeler bike taxis.

00:10He handed the man a Rs.500 note and told him not to ride again.

00:15The note might have covered his earnings for the day,

00:17but what about tomorrow and the day after?

00:19About the other millions of riders like him who are facing a similar fate.

00:23States like Maharashtra and Karnataka are continuing efforts to regulate

00:26or at times ban bike taxis.

00:28Delhi has a similar ban since 2023, although enforcement has remained patchy.

00:32While there's no national data, Karnataka alone has over 1.5 lakh riders

00:36clocking 50 lakh monthly rides.

00:38At the heart of this crackdown are the riders, college students and gig workers

00:41who rely on bike taxis to support their education, homes or even daily meals.

00:46While many states are pushing for electric-only bike taxi models, the shift isn't easy.

00:50As the cost of a basic EV, over a lakh at times, remains out of reach for most.

00:55Many riders don't qualify for financing either,

00:57given their irregular incomes.

00:59It might sound like a tall ask to some,

01:01but if Mr. Sarmai can help the rider transition to an EV,

01:04instead of handing over a Rs.500 note,

01:06it could have set the right precedent for a once booming bike taxi network

01:09that supports millions of livelihoods while keeping the rider's dignity intact.