The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to frame guidelines and rules to regulate app-based bike taxi services in the State within six months.
The order came on a public interest petition filed by Navin Kumar, who said Tamil Nadu currently lacks a legal framework for bike taxis, which are operated through private aggregator apps. He also pointed to a contradiction where such services are allowed to function, but bike taxi riders are reportedly fined.
The petitioner highlighted issues including passenger safety, fare fixation, insurance coverage and grievance redressal, noting that the Union government has issued broad guidance on these aspects. He sought a direction to the State to create rules to regulate the service.
In its response, the State informed the court that a six-member committee headed by the Southern Regional Joint Transport Commissioner, Senthilnathan, had been formed to examine the matter. The government said a policy decision on permitting bike taxis would be taken based on the committee’s recommendations and sought six months’ time.
A Division Bench comprising Justices B. Velmurugan and K.K. Ramakrishnan recorded the submission and ordered the State to prepare the required guidelines and rules within six months, closing the case.
