Shillong, May 26: The Rapido ride is over – for now. Online bike taxi riders were told by Motor Vehicle Inspector F Shadap today that they have been operating illegally and must go through Meghalaya’s three registered two-wheeler aggregators before hitting the road again.
“We didn’t know we were illegal,” one rider told reporters after the meeting. “We’re ready to follow rules once they’re explained.”
Riders said they asked the MVI for direct DTO permits but were told the process runs through the three local aggregators. Documents must first go to them, who will then route it to the DTO for approval.
The MVI was blunt: Rapido has been “operating illegally to date” and the government will not allow it.
The crackdown leaves hundreds of gig riders in limbo, forced to choose between joining local players or parking their bikes.
This is not the first time that Rapido has been in trouble in Meghalaya. When it first entered the state, there were no rules in place for two-wheeler taxi aggregators and it was banned for a while. Even after the Meghalaya rules were put in place, Rapido seemingly did not adhere to them and the DTO has taken periodic action against the riders, who are dubbed captains by the company.
