Govt Orders Removal of Uber, Ola Apps

Maharashtra’s cyber department has asked Apple and Google to remove Uber, Ola and Rapido from their app stores in the state’s latest move against bike-taxi operators. Notices dated May 15 and issued by the Office of the Additional Director General of Police, Maharashtra Cyber, told the two companies to “remove and disable access” to the apps under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, according to Indian Express. (indianexpress.com) Pratap Sarnaik, Maharashtra’s transport minister, had written to the cyber department on May 12 seeking action against what he described as unauthorized bike-taxi operations by the three aggregators. (indianexpress.com) The move followed a March 10 decision by the state to revoke provisional bike-taxi licenses issued to Uber, Ola and Rapido after the companies allegedly failed to meet conditions under Maharashtra’s e-bike taxi policy. The dispute centers on whether the companies were operating legally after Maharashtra allowed only electric bike taxis under a new framework. (indianexpress.com) The state has said the platforms continued passenger transport services without valid permissions, approvals or compliance with transport rules and the Motor Vehicles Act. ### Why is Maharashtra asking Apple and Google to take the apps down? The May 15 notices say the apps were being used to run bike-taxi services that Maharashtra Cyber described as “unlawful and in violation of the existing legal and regulatory framework.” The notices were sent to Apple and Google rather than directly to the ride-hailing companies because the state is trying to cut off access to the platforms through the app stores. (indianexpress.com) Section 79 of India’s IT Act deals with intermediary liability, and the notices warned Apple and Google that failure to comply with directions from Indian law-enforcement agencies could trigger legal action. (indianexpress.com) Financial Express, citing the Indian Express report, said the notices specifically sought deletion from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. ### What violations is the state alleging against Uber, Ola and Rapido? Maharashtra’s transport department has tied the crackdown to three broad complaints: licensing and policy breaches, safety failures and repeated non-compliance. (indianexpress.com) The notices said the services lacked adequate driver verification, insurance protection, women’s safety measures and emergency-response systems. They also referred to a woman’s death allegedly linked to one of the bike-taxi services and said a criminal case had been registered. March 10 marked an earlier escalation. (indianexpress.com) On that date, Sarnaik said provisional licenses given to the three companies would be canceled because they had not furnished required documents within the 30-day window under the Maharashtra E Bike Taxi Rules 2024. Under that policy, the vehicles were required to be electric. ### Why does Rapido appear more prominently in the state’s case? State data covering April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, showed enforcement teams detected 715 Rapido-linked bike taxis across Maharashtra, compared with 43 linked to Uber and 18 linked to Ola, according to Sarnaik’s May 12 letter. (indianexpress.com) The same data showed 110 Rapido vehicles and 15 Ola vehicles were detained, while at least nine FIRs were registered and more than Rs 11.85 lakh in fines were collected. Sarnaik said in that letter that the increasing number of bike taxis, “particularly those operated through Rapido,” posed a serious threat to public safety. (indianexpress.com) He also sought strict action against the companies, drivers and management under the IT Act and the Motor Vehicles Act. ### How does this fit with Maharashtra’s own bike-taxi policy? August 2024 was when Maharashtra’s cabinet allowed electric bike taxis in cities with populations above 100,000, according to the March 10 Indian Express report. The state later issued a broader aggregator policy in 2025 covering app-based taxi, rickshaw and carpooling services, requiring aggregators to be registered entities with a physical office in Maharashtra and to comply with the Motor Vehicles Act and the IT Act. (indianexpress.com) May 2025 was when that aggregator policy was formally issued, with provisions on fare caps, cancellation penalties and registration requirements. (indianexpress.com) The current dispute is narrower: it is focused on bike taxis, where Maharashtra says only fully electric operations were allowed and the three aggregators did not complete the compliance process needed for permanent licenses. ### What happens next for Apple, Google and the ride-hailing firms? Apple and Google are now the immediate targets of the May 15 notices, and the warning in those notices is explicit: non-compliance could invite action under the IT Act and intermediary liability rules. (indianexpress.com) Sarnaik told Indian Express that the state had already initiated the process through Maharashtra Cyber. Maharashtra is also still considering a policy framework for electric bike taxis, Sarnaik said in his May 12 letter, and the state would take a final decision after reviewing compliance requirements. (indianexpress.com) For Uber, Ola and Rapido, the next concrete step is whether the apps remain available through Apple and Google while the state pursues further enforcement under transport and IT laws. (indianexpress.com) (indianexpress.com)