Mumbai Rapido Biker Shocked As Transport Minister Poses As Customer: ‘Illegal Hai Yeh’ | Video | Viral News
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The video of Pratap Sarnaik has gone viral on social media, winning hearts online as people praised the minister’s way of explaining to the driver.
The Transport Minister made the booking to check illegal Rapido operations. (Photo Credit: X)
It’s not every day that you see a state minister making a booking for an app-based cab service. Something like that happened in Maharashtra after the state transport minister booked a Rapido bike on Wednesday to understand whether the services were being offered despite being illegal. The minister not only made a personal booking for himself but also met the driver who had reached the scheduled location for the pick-up, only to be caught red-handed.
The video captures the entire scenario, showing the minister talking to the driver about his mistake.
While explaining that bike taxis are currently illegal in Mumbai, the Transport Minister offered Rs 500 to the Rapido rider who showed up for the booking, assuring officials that no case should be filed against him since the fault lies with the company. “I am the Transport Minister. These rules are for your benefit. You came all this way, so I’m giving you Rs 500,” he told the visibly stunned rider, who politely declined the money.
“We gain nothing by penalising the rider, but the real accountability lies with those running the illegal operation. That’s where our focus is,” added Minister Pratap Sarnaik.
The video of the incident has gone viral, drawing attention from across the internet. Many users praised Sarnaik for taking direct action, while others used the moment to urge him to consider legalising bike taxi services like Rapido. The minister himself posted the video on X, captioning it, “Trap Operation from the Ministry—Direct Action Against Unauthorised Rapido Bike Taxi Services.”
It has been widely shared across social media platforms. One wrote, “Bravo! Picking on employees and entrepreneurs. Had they focused on public transport, there would be no need for rapid,” while another added, “Sir, please make bike taxi legal. Through Rapido, Ola, Uber, or any other app. It saves travel time also, and these bike taxis easily come for short distances where normal rickshaws and cabs refuse to come. It is very convenient for all.”
The Transport Minister’s move comes at a time when the state cabinet has issued a draft for the electric bike taxi policy, stating that only e-bikes can be used as bike taxis. The policy was set to come into play once it was approved in July. However, due to the lack of proper regulations, all bike taxis remain illegal in the state. Rapido, one of the most popular platforms offering low-cost rides, was banned in Maharashtra after failing to furnish documents of legal permissions in court.
- Location :
Delhi, India, India
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