Uber Shuttle, other aggregator buses face crackdown in Mumbai: Report

The Maharashtra transport department is stepping up enforcement against app-based bus aggregators such as Uber Shuttle and Cityflo, according to a report by The Times of India.

State transport minister Pratap Sarnaik on Thursday announced action against all aggregator-run bus services that have not secured the necessary licence from the state government. “When I enquired with RTO officials, they said they have served notices to the bus aggregators and are awaiting responses. But they should conduct raids and penalise them or stop the services,” Sarnaik said.

He also warned of disciplinary action against senior regional transport office (RTO) officials for not acting against bike taxis and unlicensed aggregator buses. “We need to formulate a policy for bus aggregators if it benefits a larger section of commuters. But allowing illegal operations of app-based buses must be stopped,” he added.


Sources told TOI that Uber Shuttle services could be disrupted from July 12, and several aggregator buses may go off the roads to avoid action from RTOs.

Uber Shuttle, which has been operating as a “pilot” in Mumbai, offered premium shared travel for office-goers across over 100 routes using nearly 500 buses. The service connected residential hubs such as Panvel, Kalyan and Bhayandar to business districts like BKC and Worli.

A senior Uber official said earlier this week, “Uber Shuttle has received permission in Delhi and Kolkata, with collaboration from the state governments there. It is a licensed product, responding to significant consumer demand. In Mumbai, a pilot project is underway to gather feedback from consumers and study how the service complements existing infrastructure.”

Cityflo, another aggregator facing scrutiny, has submitted documents for compliance and is engaging with the transport department. “Cityflo has submitted documents to the transport department for several compliances and is willing to collaborate with the government to provide bus services,” a source from the company told TOI.