Tourists visiting Madhya Pradesh will soon have bike taxis to easily ply through the narrow lanes or sneak past the traffic...

Tourists visiting Madhya Pradesh will soon have bike taxis to easily ply through the narrow lanes or sneak past the traffic snarls. After the successful experiment during the Simhastha Mela, one of the biggest religious congregations in the world, at Ujjain during 2016, the transport authorities in the state has now going to come up with a policy for the bike taxis. "We are coming up with a policy next month for the motorbike taxis. The operation of these taxis would be App based," Madhya Pradesh's Transport Commissioner Shailendra Shrivastava told PTI. This kind of service was allowed to run during Simhastha Mela to avoid the traffic problems created by the big vehicles and now a policy is being formulated to regulate two-wheeler taxis. "During Simhastha-2016, temporary permits for three months were issued for bike taxis. Afterward, the Transport Department had issued draft policy and invited the objections and claims. Now, this process has been completed. The policy is being finalized at the state government level and likely to be released by the state government in May," he said. At present, the state government has allowed operation of such taxis by only one company in Indore. After the policy release, it would be easier for others to get a license for bike taxi. Shrivastava said that besides all the safety arrangements, it is proposed that the bike riders will have to keep a spare helmet for the person, who will hire their bike taxis.

Madhya Pradesh's Transport Commissioner Shailendra Shrivastava

"Permits would be granted only after thorough verification and security features. At least 25 bike taxis should be available with the company or the operator for running such services," he added. According to proposed draft policy, the photo and the details of the bike driver would be available on the app when someone hires the services. The rates of these taxis would be fixed by Regional Transport Authority (RTA). Besides, it is also proposed that there should be a system to track the movement of these taxis through GPS. Another transport department officer told PTI that these bike taxis would be charged Rs 1,000 per year as license fee besides ensuring the security verification of the drivers/riders. Last year, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has express confidence that bike taxis will offer solutions not only for wading through severe traffic congestions in metropolises but can provide affordable transportation to people in far-flung rural areas. "We are planning to facilitate the launch of bikes as taxis. We are going to introduce a cab aggregator platform where commuters could choose any mode of transportation that also includes a bike taxi," Gadkari had announced.