Motorcycle taxi captains seek new laws to operate

SHILLONG, July 18: An aggrieved lot of motorcycle taxi captains, under the banner of Two-Wheelers Taxi Riders Association of Meghalaya, on Monday asked the state government to amend laws so as to pave the way for an atmosphere congenial to local conditions and geared towards the welfare of the operators.
“Most of the riders are self-employed young men and women whose only source of livelihood for some time has been the two-wheeler taxi riding services,” general secretary of the association Khraw Kupar Mawkon said in a letter submitted to the Commissioner and Secretary, Transport department, MR Synrem.
Mawkhon suggested that the government should suitably amend the Meghalaya Taxi Aggregator Operational Rules 2020 to enable rider-owned associations/SHGs/cooperatives to operate aggregator services, and offer financial assistance.
“We strongly urge the government to suitably amend Meghalaya Taxi Aggregator Operational Rules 2020 to put a cess on the aggregator services towards welfare of the riders through an independent welfare board,” he said.
The Association has also pitched for designated bike taxi stand at all prominent locations across cities and towns.
Just like taxi service operational in the state, offline service, fares and other rules should be notified for bike taxi services too, it said. Designated coloured number plates/helmets can be used to indicate bike taxi services, the association added.
“Many of us have taken loans to buy our bikes and scooters to do this (taxi service). Now with this action by the government, we are staring at a bleak future. This two-year-old notification was never widely publicised and even the aggregator service providers did not make us aware of its provisions regarding conversion of private motor bikes/ two-wheelers into commercial motorbikes/two-wheelers,” the association general secretary said.
The association has asked the government to issue interim orders to allow the riders to ply their two-wheeler taxi service.
“If there are no rules regarding commercial permits for two wheeler/bikes/scooties, then they should be notified immediately and should be made in a participatory nature which acknowledges economic realities of such a service,” Mawkhon said, while adding that the cost of permits must be reasonable and they should be issued in an “accessible and time-bound manner”.
The association has suggested a week as the timeframe for the government to issue such a permit.