With government's approval, bike pooling to become reality in Maharashtra

Mumbai: In Maharashtra, one may be able to monetise the friendly gesture of offering a lift to his colleague or neighbour on an electric two-wheeler, as bike pooling is set to become legal soon, which will reduce vehicular pollution and decongest roads.

The Maharashtra Cabinet on April 1 approved bike pooling while also giving the green light to e-bike taxis. This new initiative will allow private two-wheeler owners to share rides for a fare after framing rules.

Although not confirmed, some officials from the transport department believe Maharashtra may be the first state in the country to legalise bike pooling, even though bike taxis are already operational in 12 other states, including Goa.

Maharashtra's vehicle population has crossed 4 crore, and more than 25 lakh vehicles are added to the roads every year, worsening traffic congestion, vehicular pollution, and other issues. Recently, during the Hindu festival of Gudhi Padwa, around 87,000 vehicles were registered at RTO offices in the state within a week.

Bike pooling refers to a shared transportation system where individuals riding motorcycles or scooters share rides with others travelling in the same direction. This system aims to reduce traffic congestion and save fuel.

'Bike taxi' generally refers to a ride-hailing service that uses motorcycles or other two-wheelers to ferry passengers.

A top official from the Maharashtra transport department said, along with bike taxis, the department will now formulate rules for bike pooling. After approval from the legal department, the rules will be notified before the service launch.

The official explained that bike aggregators will introduce bike pooling as an option on their mobile applications, and only e-bikes will be permitted for pooling.

"Bike taxi aggregators will include bike pooling on their mobile platforms, and similar to bike taxis, only e-bikes will be eligible for pooling," he added.

The Union Government's Aggregator Policy 2020 allows the pooling of non-transport vehicles, including car and bike pooling, aiming to reduce traffic congestion, and pollution, and improve asset utilisation. However, state governments may choose to prohibit such pooling.

As per the policy, if pooling is permitted by a state, each private vehicle associated with an aggregator can provide up to four intra-city shared rides per day and two inter-city shared rides per week.

Additionally, these vehicles must have insurance coverage of at least Rs 5 lakh for ride-sharing passengers, excluding the driver or owner.

Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar told PTI that the Maharashtra Cabinet approved bike pooling based on provisions in aggregator policies from 2014 and 2020, which advocate car and bike pooling to tackle road congestion and vehicular pollution.

He clarified that the Centre's aggregator policy views pooling not as a commercial activity but as a mechanism for the person offering rides to recover minimal costs.

According to Bhimanwar, bike pooling can involve private vehicles, but the two-wheeler owner must register on the aggregator’s platform.

Unlike bike taxis, however, there will be restrictions on the number of daily rides for bike pooling, and police verification of the vehicle owner will be necessary.

"For registering on an app-based aggregator platform (for bike pooling), police verification (of the vehicle owner) will be mandatory," Bhimanwar added.

Some retired officials from the transport department expressed surprise at the Maharashtra Cabinet's approval of bike pooling, citing that it had not been discussed before, even though car pooling had been under consideration for over two decades.

They believe car pooling is more crucial than bike pooling, considering the extent of vehicle congestion in cities. However, they remain sceptical about the practicality of bike pooling.

"I don't think there was any need for bike pooling, though car pooling was necessary," one retired official said.

He added that when rides are offered at the vehicle owner’s expense, there should be no objection. However, if compensation in cash or kind is received, it becomes a matter of contract carriage, leading to legal complications.

Another retired RTO official emphasised that passenger safety should have been prioritised when approving bike taxis and bike pooling, as two-wheelers account for nearly 70 per cent of total road accidents in the state.

He argued that compared to cars or other vehicles, two-wheelers pose greater risks due to the lack of physical protection and a higher likelihood of skidding or losing balance. In accidents, riders and pillion passengers face significantly higher risks of injury or fatality than occupants of enclosed vehicles.

"Considering the risk factors, the government should not have allowed bike taxis or bike pooling, as both pose equal safety risks," he said.

In Maharashtra, car pooling remains illegal, though it operates unchecked in major cities through mobile applications, evading enforcement by RTO and police authorities.