Pune: District collector Jitendra Dudi has written a letter to Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar seeking immediate removal of the bike taxi option from Rapido’s application.The move comes a week after the Regional Transport Office (RTO), Pune, lodged an FIR against Rapido for allegedly operating unauthorised bike taxis.In his letter, Dudi has requested that the commissioner direct the Pune police cyber cell to immediately disable the bike-taxi option on the aggregator’s app in Pune district without the requisite permission.The continued availability of the bike taxi service has angered autorickshaw unions. The unions have questioned how the company can continue the service despite an FIR and warnings from transport authorities.Dudi, who is also the chairperson of Pune Regional Transport Authority (RTA), confirmed the development. “The letter has already been given,” he told TOI.Sources in the Pune RTO said enforcement action against bike taxi operators was underway. “We have acted against more than 10 bike taxi operators so far and imposed fines totalling over Rs 60,000. No permission has been given to operate bike taxis in Pune. It makes the service illegal and unauthorised. The action will continue,” an official said.TOI has sent a query to a Rapido spokesperson asking why the company continued to offer bike taxi rides despite the FIR. A response was awaited till the time of going to the press.Keshav Kshirsagar, president of Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha and Baghtoy Rickshawaala union, said, “The FIR was lodged last Friday, but the service is still readily available. Every day that they continue operating raises questions about enforcement. What are the authorities doing?” he said.Kshirsagar said autorickshaw unions planned to meet the Pune RTO on Saturday or Monday to seek an explanation for the continued availability of the service and the lack of stricter action against the company.Nitin Pawar, president of Rickshaw Panchayat, also criticised Rapido for allegedly disregarding the authorities’ directives. “The company seemed to believe that because it has been a corporate entity, it could do anything. More shocking was that the authorities were not acting firmly despite issuing strict instructions to remove the option and warning that its licence could be suspended for non-compliance,” Pawar said.He described the continued operations as a blatant disregard for the law and said his union would seek an explanation from the Pune collector on Friday.
