Pune: State transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Thursday that cab aggregators — like Uber, Ola and Rapido — must comply with every provision of Maharashtra’s newly notified policy and obtain licences by Sept 1 or face strict legal action, including suspension of operations.He said that barring Bharat Taxi, no cab aggregator had applied for a licence under the policy announced on July 16.“The warning is clear. Cab aggregators must comply with all regulations and apply for a licence by Sept 1. They will be barred from operating in Maharashtra on failure to do so and strict legal action will be initiated,” Sarnaik said.He said regulations were essential because app-based transport services were expanding rapidly across the state and ferrying lakhs of commuters daily. “Passenger safety, verification of vehicles and drivers and fixing accountability of cab aggregator companies are crucial,” he added.The policy has introduced several mandatory provisions, including a real-time online monitoring portal for cab drivers, a 24×7 customer support centre, mandatory driver badges and a requirement that drivers receive at least 80% of the total fare. It capped the number of vehicles that can be registered on a single app platform at 50 in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur and 25 in other parts of the state.Transport department officials said cab aggregators had accepted most provisions, but were resisting the cap on vehicle registrations. A senior department official told TOI: “We are not going to compromise. The objective is to provide a level-playing field for all operators and not just big companies. Cabs operate on provisional licences, currently. One month is sufficient to make required changes.”Sarnaik said tech-driven transport services were welcome, but convenience would not come at the cost of legality or passenger safety. “Under the policy, all cab aggregators must register with the transport department. Every cab, autorickshaw or bike used must be registered as a commercial vehicle. Vehicles must have valid permits and registrations. Private vehicles or vehicles without valid aggregator permits will not be allowed to operate as commercial passenger transport. Maintaining mandatory insurance coverage is essential,” he said.He said cab aggregators would be responsible for ensuring adequate safety measures on every trip. “The passenger is the focal point of the system and their safety is important,” the minister said.However, commuters remained sceptical about enforcement, saying previous assurances had done little to improve the situation.“Authorities make big announcements, but enforcement on the ground is missing. Drivers in Pune continue to demand fares outside the app or meter and the RTO does little about it. If announcements alone could fix public transport, Pune would have a perfect system,” said Wakad resident and regular commuter Jatin Mishra.On Tuesday, a commuter posted on X and alleged an Uber driver had overcharged him. “The actual fare was Rs332, but I was forced to pay Rs560 at Rs35 per km for a 16km trip. This is how drivers fleece passengers in Pune,” he wrote.
