PUNE: The ongoing agitation by the Auto Rickshaw Unions in Pune is causing great inconvenience to the commuters of Pune and the hardworking Captains at Rapido. The demand by the Unions to stop bike taxi services in Pune is putting into question the livelihoods of 57,000 Rapido Captains in Pune and their families. These Captains are working with Rapido on their own terms and Rapido provides them a strong source of income to support their as well as their family’s livelihoods.
Given the current scenario, the impact of such strikes can have a far-reaching economic effect on a large section of the people in Pune. Rapido strongly believes in working in tandem with the Government’s vision of developing a strong gig economy as well as enabling access to livelihoods.
Micro mobility is the need of the hour in large cities across India. Services provided by Rapido are complementary to the existing mobility infrastructure and fill up the important missing blanks by providing services for last-mile transportation. The citizens of Pune deserve a reliable, on-time, and cost-effective mode of transportation, and Rapido fills in that purpose. If pushed into suspending services, Punekars will lose an option and will be at the mercy of the existing public transport infrastructure that is bursting at its seams.
Rapido is a law-abiding corporate and continues to operate within the framework of applicable laws. By the ruling of the Hon’ble High Court of Bombay, dated March 07, 2022, an aggregator who has applied for a license on or before March 16, 2022, can continue to operate in the State of Maharashtra. This ruling will continue until such time that the appropriate license has been granted. Furthermore, on April 21, 2022, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, directed for the status quo to be maintained since its application is pending consideration before the Mumbai and Pune RTA. In the order dated November 29, 2022, the Hon’ble High Court of Bombay has asked for the Pune RTA to reconsider Rapido’s application.
