In a strong rebuke to auto-rickshaw drivers seeking to curb bike taxi operations in Mumbai, the Bombay High Court on Monday refused to entertain a petition that alleged illegal plying of app-based bike taxis using private vehicles. The court also criticised the city’s traditional auto and taxi services, remarking that they often operate like a “cartel.”

A bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale came down heavily on four Mumbai auto-rickshaw drivers, who had filed a petition urging the court to enforce restrictions against bike taxis operated by aggregators like Rapido. The petitioners alleged that the bike taxis were using white number plates — designated for private vehicles — instead of the required yellow-and-black transport plates, and were thus operating illegally, affecting their livelihood.

However, the court declined to intervene, observing that the petition appeared aimed at creating a monopoly. “You want to indirectly take an order and put pressure on them (bike services). There cannot be a monopoly. If a single person has to travel, then it is better to take a bike than an auto or taxi,” the bench stated.

The state government had recently notified the Maharashtra Bike-Taxi Rules, 2025, on July 4, paving the way for regulated operations of app-based bike taxis, subject to licensing, safety, and operational compliance.

While the petitioners claimed they were merely seeking enforcement of the rules against unlicensed vehicles, the bench was unpersuaded. “Everyone has seen the high-handedness of autorickshaw and taxi drivers. That is why people prefer alternatives. Try catching a rickshaw during monsoon,” the bench said.

Further, the judges pointed out the irony in the petitioners’ argument about rule enforcement. “This will stop only when you stop refusing to take people. We have seen on the streets how taxi and rickshaw drivers treat customers — their language, tone, and high-handedness. Each one of us has faced this.”

Criticising the perceived entitlement of traditional transport operators, the bench added, “Tomorrow you will say even the metro should not start. It is because of the high-handedness of the ‘kali peelis’ (local way of calling taxis in Mumbai) that Ola and Uber started picking up.”

The court also called out the practice of rickshaw drivers allegedly forming informal cartels — refusing passengers and preventing others from taking them either.

Ultimately, with the bench indicating it would dismiss the petition, the petitioners chose to withdraw it.

– Ends