UBER AND OTHER AGGREGATORS TO APPLY FOR LICENSE BEFORE 16 MARCH 2022 - BOMBAY HC

The Bombay High Court directed Ola and Uber along with other cab aggregators, to apply for a license from the Maharashtra government before March 16 this year. The Court further directed the state government to designate all transport authorities across the State to have the authority to grant licenses.

For such matters, the bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Vinay Joshi directed that the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT) be the appellate authority. 

The HC further clarified that if a license is rejected an appeal can be filed before the MACT and meanwhile the aggregators shall not be permitted to carry on further activities.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by Savina Crasto against the aggregators for lack of a consumer grievance-redressal mechanism to resolve complaints against the transport aggregators. Earlier, the petitioner informed that the taxi aggregators were required to obtain licenses as prescribed under the Act.

The State government informed that the draft rules had been known as the Maharashtra Regulation of Aggregator Rules. However, the approval is pending from the authorities. The State further clarified that in the absence of rules, they would be governed by guidelines of the Centre. 

The High Court observed that despite so, the State had permitted Uber to ply taxis in the State without the requisite licenses.

The bench held that till the time the rules are to be finalized, the guidelines by the Central government would be binding on the aggregators.