Fatal Accident Involving Uber Bike Taxi in Mumbai Leads to Legal Action Against Company Directors

A cement mixer truck collided with a motorcycle operated by an Uber 'rider partner', resulting in a tragic incident. (Representational)

Mumbai police have filed a case against the directors of Uber India Systems Pvt Ltd following the death of a female passenger on a bike taxi. Officials announced on Wednesday that the company allegedly violated government regulations established for such services.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered at Navghar police station on Monday, a "private vehicle" was utilized in contravention of the rules specified by the government when granting permits for bike taxi operations.

The FIR originated from a complaint by Motor Vehicle Inspector Ravindra Gawde of the Maharashtra transport department. Uber India Systems has not yet provided a response to inquiries about the incident.

Police reports indicate that on November 29, a cement mixer truck driven by Jawahir Bashraj Yadav (40) crashed into a motorcycle operated by Uber 'rider partner' Ganesh Vishram Madhav near the Airoli flyover. While Ganesh sustained injuries, his passenger Shubhangi Magare, who had booked the bike taxi, tragically died in the accident.

Following the initial FIR for rash driving, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) conducted a separate investigation. They discovered that although Ganesh had registered an Activa scooter owned by his uncle on the Uber bike taxi platform, he was actually using his personal motorcycle to transport passengers.

Furthermore, the complaint stated that the Activa registration violated the permit granted to Uber India under the Motor Vehicles Act, Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules, 2025, and Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2020.

The FIR has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 223 (disobedience to a lawful order issued by a public servant) and relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. No arrests have been made in connection with this case.

Official data shows that only 100 bike taxis have been registered in Mumbai during the past two months, following the State Transport Authority's (STA) issuance of provisional licenses to three major aggregators.

A senior RTO official informed PTI that 50 electric bike taxis each from Rapido and Uber were registered at the Wadala RTO in September. These vehicles are all BGauss electric scooters, making them the only two-wheelers officially registered as bike taxis in Mumbai thus far.

As required by regulations, these bike taxis are painted yellow and display yellow number plates with black lettering.

Earlier this year, the STA approved provisional licenses for the parent companies of Ola, Uber, and Rapido under the Mumbai Bike Taxi Rules 2025, authorizing them to operate bike taxis throughout the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Dr. Keshav Nana Kshirsagar, president of Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha, alleged that the transport department has been filing cases selectively. He claimed that despite several FIRs being registered, the operational practices of bike taxi services remain unchanged.