Supreme Court gives Delhi govt more time to decide on Rapido, other bike taxi aggregators

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Supreme Court on Monday granted time till September 30 to the Delhi government to finalise the Motor Vehicles Aggregator policy towards regulating bike taxis. The court allowed the state govt application in this regard.

Delhi government had challenged order of Delhi High Court order on bike taxi services. The Supreme Court on June 12, 2023, had halted a high court order that had allowed Uber, Rapido and other two-wheeler bike taxis to operate in New Delhi, reviving a ban imposed by the government.

The top court was hearing two pleas filed by the Delhi government against the high court order permitting bike-taxi aggregators, Rapido and Uber, to operate in the national capital till notification of the final policy by the administration on plying of two-wheeler non-transport vehicles. The AAP government had challenged in the Supreme Court the May 26 order of the Delhi High Court asking it not to take any coercive action against the bike-taxi aggregators ill the final policy was notified.

A vacation bench of justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal heard the pleas of the AAP government. On May 26, while issuing a notice to the Delhi government on Rapido's plea challenging a law that excludes two-wheelers from being registered as transport vehicles, the high court directed that no coercive action should be taken against the bike-taxi aggregator till the final policy was notified.

The high court, which listed Rapido's plea on August 22 before the registrar for completion of pleading, said, «The counsel for the petitioners (Rapido) submits that policy is under active consideration.» «Accordingly, we hereby stay the notice and make it clear that the stay shall operate till the final policy is notified. However, once the final