Ban on bike taxis in Pune to jeopardise livelihood of 57,000 riders, says Rapido amid autorickshaw drivers’ protests

Amid protests by autorickshaw drivers in Pune demanding a ban on bike taxis, Rapido, which offers cellphone-based bike-hailing service, has said a ban would put in jeopardy the livelihood of 57,000 Rapido captains (bike riders).

“Micro mobility is the need of the hour in large cities across India. Services provided by Rapido are complementary to the existing mobility infrastructure, and fill up the important missing blanks by providing services for last-mile transportation,” said Rapido in a statement.

“The citizens of Pune deserve a reliable, on-time and cost-effective mode of transportation and Rapido fills in that purpose.