Cab aggregator policy kicks in, 70 vehicles found plying without licence impounded
According to a senior transport department official, the policy kicked in on June 15 and the drive began earlier this week.
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Major players like Uber, Zomato, Swiggy, are among 21 aggregator and delivery service providers that have applied for the licence and are registered under the government.Around 70 vehicles were impounded over the last four days as part of the Transport Department’s enforcement drive to crack down on cabs and bike taxis — providing delivery and taxi services — found plying in the city without obtaining a licence under Delhi’s cab aggregator policy.
According to a senior transport department official, the policy kicked in on June 15 and the drive began earlier this week.
The Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme, 2023, was approved by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last year and notified on November 21. It aims to licence and regulate any aggregator, delivery service provider, and e-commerce entity using a digital intermediary (such as an app or web portal) with more than 25 vehicles in their fleet.
As per the policy, all existing and new operators had to obtain a licence within 90 days of the scheme’s notification or before commencing operations. Existing aggregators, delivery service providers, and new operators had to apply for a licence by June 15.
As part of the scheme, the Transport Department launched a portal to facilitate licensing, payment of fees, and ensuring other compliances. The deadline to register on the portal was July 15.
“Several delivery service providers and aggregators are operating without a licence… The government has started a drive to impound such vehicles… there are plans to intensify the drive from next week under which the government will crack down on vehicles that have not registered on the portal,” said officials.
A few days before the July 15 deadline, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) — a not-for-profit industry body representing the digital services industry with over 600 Indian and multinational corporations as its members — wrote to Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot requesting a 45-day extension. It also flagged technical issues with the portal.
“The portal is taking up to 48 hours to upload just 1,000 entries for vehicle details. A number of our members are not able to make payments as well, owing to which they are not able to upload their fleet details… Furthermore, there have been issues where aggregators are not able to upload a gig worker driver’s licence details on the portal…,” said the IAMAI in its July 12 letter.
Given that the portal is taking over two days to upload a single sheet with 1,000 entries, a deadline of July 15 prescribed on July 11 is not feasible, it added.
However, officials said the “department has already given enough time and there will be no extension”.
Major players like Uber, Zomato, Swiggy, Uncle Delivery Express Pvt Ltd, Delhivery Limited, BluSmart Tech Pvt Ltd, and Amazon Transportation Services Private Ltd are among 21 aggregator and delivery service providers that have applied for the licence and are registered under the Delhi government.
Under this policy, bike taxis should only be electric. Delivery service providers were to convert 10% of their two-wheeler fleet to electric in six months, 25% in a year and 100% in four years. The government also set a target to convert the entire fleet of taxis and delivery service providers into electric by 2030.
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