A team from the Dehradun transport department conducted a surprise inspection at the office of transport aggregator Rapido on Friday. The inspection was prompted by multiple complaints alleging the company had enrolled private two-wheelers on its platform, a clear breach of the Motor Vehicles Act and its licence conditions.
Key Violations Uncovered During Inspection
Divisional Transport Officer Sandeep Saini stated that the use of private vehicles compromised passenger safety and resulted in a significant revenue loss for the state government. Officials discovered that the department had no verification details for the private vehicles listed on the Rapido app.
Furthermore, the inspection revealed that Rapido was not operating from the address registered with the State Transport Authority (STA) on its aggregator licence. The company had reportedly shifted its head office from Canal Road, Dehradun, to a location on Ring Road in Haridwar without notifying the authorities. This unauthorized move disrupted official communication for a period. The team found the aggregator operating from a building that was previously a restaurant.
Multiple Lapses in Compliance and Customer Grievances
The transport department also acted on customer complaints where users were assigned one vehicle but a different one arrived after booking. In a major compliance failure, officials noted that Rapido had not shared its fare calculation system with the STA, a mandatory requirement under its licence terms.
The company had also failed to provide crucial data, including the total number of vehicles registered on its app. Rapido was required to pay 2% of its per-ride revenue to the state transport department but had not made any payments so far, officials confirmed.
Directives Issued and Recommended Action
During the inspection, which was attended by Rapido's assistant manager and operations manager, the firm was directed to submit comprehensive information. This includes details of its pricing algorithm, grievance redressal mechanism, and all customer complaint records from the past three months.
The department has formally recommended the suspension of the aggregator licence issued to Rapido by the STA. The company was also ordered to immediately deactivate all private vehicles from its application. Failure to comply would lead to legal action for misleading both vehicle owners and the public.
The inspection team was led by ARTO Chakrapani Mishra and included Transport Tax Officer Pragya Pant along with other departmental staff.
