Introduction
On August 4 2025, the Bombay High Court rejected the petition filed by a group of four auto- rickshaw union drivers located in Thane against the bike taxis like rapido running illegally and without proper authorization.
Case Scenario
The Petitioners filed a petition that the various bike taxi riders are running illegally and with non- transport number plates(White Number Plates) that’s used for private transportation instead of Yellow number plates They also argued that these illegal activities will lead the petitioner’s life miserable and affect their right to livelihood.Also it is very unsafe for the passengers. Their prayer before the honourable court was to ban these bike taxis that run without following the laws.
Regulations pertaining to the case
The petitioners argued that the bike taxi’s like rapido were using white number plates instead of yellow number plates that’s for commercial transportation which is depicted under Motor Vehicles Act. Also the petitioners argued that the above action of the bike taxi drivers violates fundamental rights under Article 14, 19(1)(g) and 21 of the Constitution of India.
Judge’s Point of View
Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale are the judges in the division bench who hear both the parties. The judges pointed out that there is no infringement of fundamental rights as the petitioners argued. The court pointed out that nowadays the passengers mostly choose app-based travelling mode because of the rude behaviour of some auto- rickshaw drivers, also they are refusing to accept passengers for short distance travel or avoid travelling some routes etc, all these are the reasons that contributed to the emergence of ride hailing apps.
Decision of the Court
The petitioners sought to withdraw the above petition as the bench refused to entertain the same. Also the Court remarked that these problems are solved only when the rude attitude of some of the auto drivers changes and treats the passengers fairly.
AUTHOR DETAILS:
Aswathy S Menon, a law graduate from Mar Gregorios College of Law, Thiruvananthapuram, and Practicing as a lawyer at High Court of Kerala with over two years of experience in litigation, compliance, and legal research. She has contributed to legal content writing and worked on civil, criminal, and corporate matters, with particular interests in corporate governance, contract law, and dispute resolution.