Despite the ban on app-based taxi and bike taxi services in Chandigarh, Uber, Rapido and other companies continue to operate on the city’s roads. Police have so far taken action against 915 vehicles, including issuing challans to 569 bike taxis and impounding 67 bikes.
Ola, Uber, inDrive and Rapido services have not fully stopped operating despite the ban imposed on app-based taxi and bike taxi services in Chandigarh. Some drivers continue to accept passengers through the apps and are adopting different methods to avoid police action.
According to information available, some drivers switch their mobile phones to airplane mode after receiving a booking and collect the fare based on the amount shown on the app. In several cases, bookings are cancelled just before the ride begins. Some drivers also attempt to go offline while travelling through areas where police personnel have been deployed.
Chandigarh Police has also changed its approach to investigate the operation of app-based services despite the ban. Police personnel are booking cabs and bike taxis themselves through the banned apps. When a driver reaches the designated location, police stop the vehicle and check the driver’s mobile phone and the relevant app.
Through this process, police are seeking to establish whether a vehicle is providing passenger services through a banned app. The approach enables police to intercept drivers at the spot and take action for violations.
According to police, action has so far been taken against 915 vehicles for operating app-based transport services despite the ban. Challans have been issued to 812 vehicles, while 103 vehicles have been impounded. Officials said this is among the larger enforcement actions taken so far against banned app-based transport services.
State Transport Authority data shows that bike taxis account for the largest share of the vehicles facing action. Bike taxis constitute around 70% of the total cases.
According to the data, action has been taken in 636 cases involving bike taxi services operating despite the ban. Challans were issued to 569 bike taxis, while 67 bikes were impounded. In the taxi category, action was taken against 208 vehicles, including challans issued to 194 and the impounding of 14 taxis.
The data shows that bike taxi services continue to operate in significant numbers despite the ban. Police and the transport department are focusing on identifying such vehicles and taking enforcement action.
At the beginning of this month, the Chandigarh administration suspended the licences of Uber and Rapido for six months. According to the State Transport Authority, the companies had been given several opportunities to comply with the rules and conditions, but necessary requirements relating to driver insurance and training, fares, vehicle eligibility, safety and operations were not followed.
Following complaints that services continued to operate after the licence suspension, police and the transport department have increased surveillance. Action against vehicles operating through banned apps is expected to intensify in the coming days.
