Maharashtra Government’s Decision May Adversely Impact Livelihoods and Opportunities of its Citizens

Maharashtra State Government’s decision (Notification of 19 January 2023) to prohibit private aggregators and ride-pooling vehicles has deprived millions of citizens of exercising their rights to use a reliable and efficient mode of local transport and suddenly created a situation that has the potential to deprive over 2 Lakh Bike Captains of their employment in Maharashtra. This arbitrary decision by the State Government will put the commuters at the mercy of poor transport facilities and a lack of urban infrastructure that does not provide low-cost last-mile connectivity. Rapido will continue to strive in its endeavour to provide a source of income to its Captains as their dependent families, whose livelihoods will be affected due to this, and is evaluating judicial remedies, including those arising from the rejection of its licence attributed inter-alia to the lack of a State Government’s will to formulate a cohesive policy favourable to the citizens of the state.