Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik today announced the draft Motor Vehicle Aggregator Rules, 2025, aimed at bringing discipline, transparency, and passenger safety to app-based taxi services like Ola, Uber, and Rapido. The rules are open for public comments until 17th of this month, after which they will come into force.

The new rules cover all passenger vehicles including e-rickshaws, while bike-taxi services will be regulated separately under the Maharashtra Bike-Taxi Rules, 2025, requiring a separate license. The rules set license fees at 10 lakh rupees for State Transport Authority (STA) and 2 lakh rupees for Regional Transport Authority (RTA), with renewal fees of 25 thousand and 5 thousand rupees. Safety deposits will range from 10 lakh rupees for up to 1,000 vehicles, 25 lakh for 1,001 to 10,000 vehicles, and 50 lakh for more than 10,000 vehicles.

Drivers can work a maximum of 12 hours per day with at least 10 hours of rest and must complete 30 hours of training. Vehicles must not exceed nine years for cabs and auto-rickshaws, and eight years for buses. Passengers will have mandatory travel insurance up to five lakh rupees, surge pricing will be capped at 1.5 times the base fare, and convenience fees cannot exceed 5 percent per ride.