Maharashtra: SAT Postpones Hearing On Ola, Uber Operations In Pune

The State Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has postponed the hearing on the operations of ride-hailing giants Ola and Uber in Pune to September 12. This marks the sixth adjournment in the ongoing case. Both companies have been operating in the city without a license for over a decade. The SAT is reviewing the case after the Regional Transport Office (RTO) rejected their license applications. The SAT first heard the appeal on April 22 and has since rescheduled it to June 18, July 8, August 5, August 22, and now September 12.

Following the rejection of their license applications, Ola and Uber were given 30 days to appeal to higher authorities. According to the central government’s Motor Vehicles Aggregators (MVA) guidelines, any aggregator dissatisfied with an order may appeal to the state government or another notified agency within 30 days of receiving the order.

On March 11, District Collector Suhas Diwase chaired a meeting with transport officials, resulting in the RTO’s decision to reject the applications from ANI Technologies Pvt Ltd (Ola) and Uber India Systems Pvt Ltd. The rejection was based on non-compliance with the MVA guidelines, 2020.

Earlier this year, the RTA revised taxi fares, increasing the rates for AC taxis to Rs 37 for the first 1.5 km and Rs 25 per km thereafter. However, Ola and Uber have not adopted these new fares. Despite several meetings between driver unions, company representatives, and transport officials, a resolution has not been reached, prompting the district collector’s action against the companies.