Bike taxi drivers write to Delhi Lt Governor, say nearly 50,000 riders jobless due to new scheme

New Delhi: Delhi's bike taxi drivers have written to the Lt Governor and the AAP government, saying nearly 50,000 of them have been rendered jobless due to the approval of a scheme that mandates aggregators offering passenger services to switch to electric two-wheelers.

The file pertaining to the Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme, 2023 was approved by Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena. The policy is likely to be notified soon.

The Apna Bike Taxi Association, in an open letter to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and the Delhi government, said it has appealed to the authorities several times to get its grievances addressed but the pleas have not been heard.

"We feel that the government should understand that if someone is riding a petrol motorcycle, how can they suddenly get an electric bike. Neither are there electric bike taxis available in the market nor do we have the money to buy them," the letter read.

Last month, more than 1,500 bike taxi drivers had written to the LG demanding that they be given the same timeline for conversion to electric vehicles as their counterparts in delivery services.

While appreciating the Delhi government's intent to transition to electric vehicles and reduce pollution levels across the city, the drivers underlined that harsh measures like allowing only electric bike taxis to operate will take away their livelihoods.