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Mumbai: Illegal share-taxi services thrive in city

Published

3 years ago

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Quite a few of the woes faced by taxi users in Mumbai arise from the fact that more than a quarter of the share-taxi routes in the city are unauthorised.

Not only commuters but even taxi unions have complained about the blind eye turned by the authorities to the operation of these unauthorised services.

The services are operated even at prominent locations like CSMT, Gateway of India and Churchgate in south Mumbai using Maruti Eeco vans which are officially licensed to carry six passengers but into which are often crammed twice as many, including children.

The police, however, claim the allegations of connivance against them are false and they alert the Regional Transport Office (RTO) whenever an irregularity is spotted, especially on camera.

“Several share-taxi routes starting from CSMT, Gateway, Churchgate, Mumbai Central, Mahalaxmi and Grant Road are unauthorised,” said AL Quadros, long-time General Secretary of the Mumbai Taximen’s Union, the city’s oldest and most prominent black-and-yellow taxicab union.

Commuters also said taxi drivers openly flout rules across different so-called share-taxi routes and not only overcharge passengers but also overload the vehicles.

“Anyone can spot the stools placed in most of the share taxies plying in the city,” said Mayuresh Kamble, 32, a resident of Dadar. “On Saturday I took a share taxi from the Gateway of India to CSMT and the driver charged me Rs30.”

Mr Kamble said he was asked to sit on a stool by the driver but he refused. The driver then requested another passenger already in the vehicle to take the stool and gave Kamble a seat in the third row of the vehicle.

Thane resident Ritesh Shah, 28, who travelled from Girgaum Chowpatty to CSMT, said, “I was first offered the front seat by the driver. Then he asked me to make space for another commuter. As I was in a hurry, I complied but it was very inconvenient.”

Mr Quadros said these unauthorised routes are being operated by local goons with the help of the traffic police.

But a traffic police officer dismissed the allegation and claimed that “in the South region especially, taxi drivers mostly abide by rules”, though the illegal operators are plainly visible on the main streets of Fort, a kilometre from the police headquarters.

The officer further claimed that “in case we do find something wrong and they are caught on CCTV cameras, we intimate the RTO, who take strict action”.

An officer from the Colaba traffic division said taxi stands are sanctioned by the RTO and the BMC. “We [the traffic police] have no role to play in the taxi stand part, but if we do receive any complaints, we check on them and, if necessary, act against the offenders.”

Asked about overloading, he said, “There are times when a single officer is out there managing the scene. Sometimes one may miss out on a vehicle or two, as it is humanly impossible to check every vehicle. However, if any taxis are found overloading, challans are issued to the owners.”

The irony is that some of the routes are operated from just outside the office of Maharashtra’s Director General of Police near the Gateway and the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) at Bori Bunder.

Another taxi union leader, who did not want to be named, said these illegal share-taxi services are able to operate as they have the blessings of local politicians. He also blamed officials of the Transport Department for the rampant growth of unauthorised share-taxi routes.

“Getting approval for a new share-a-taxi route in the city is not easy,” the union leader said. “That’s why a large number of unauthorised routes have cropped up.”

Explaining the process of setting up a new share-a-taxi route, a Transport Department official said the union has to first send in a request to the RTO, which then approaches the department for consent. “If the Traffic Department does not have any objection, a joint survey is conducted. If the proposed route is found feasible from the point of view of traffic safety and commuter convenience, the RTO gives its approval and fixes the fare.”

The official also passed the buck on to commuters, saying they need to come forward and report errant drivers, though the violations happen on the main street in daylight.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Municipal Corporation Elections 2025-26: Final voter lists with voter photographs available for sale at the Central Election Office

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10 hours ago

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January 6, 2026

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Mumbai: State Election Commission, Maharashtra has announced a revised schedule for publication of polling station wise voter lists in connection with the Municipal Corporation General Elections 2025-26. The order states that the complete municipality wise voter list shall be published as soon as it is completed. Accordingly, Mumbai Municipal Corporation has received polling station wise voter lists of 226 out of 227 wards from the State Election Commission today, January 6, 2026. The said lists along with polling station wise voter photographs are available for sale at the concerned Central Election Offices from Wednesday, January 7, 2026. The Municipal Administration appeals to the citizens/political parties to purchase these voter lists from the concerned Central Election Offices.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai municipal elections: A series of rebellions among political parties

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12 hours ago

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January 6, 2026

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Mumbai: Ahead of the Mumbai municipal elections, the migration of disgruntled party leaders to other parties has begun. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has suffered a major setback before the municipal elections. Several MNS leaders have joined Shiv Sena Shinde Sena. Along with this, Santosh Dhuri, a close associate of Raj Thackeray, joined the BJP. Even after this, the party change is not stopping and many senior MNS leaders have joined Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde and raised the flag of rebellion against the party. Before the BMC elections in Mumbai, Raj and Uddhav Thackeray had formed an electoral alliance, but the rebel leaders of these parties are still separating from the party, due to which there is a long series of rebellions in both the parties. Many leaders, unhappy with not getting tickets, are leaving their party and joining other parties. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena General Secretary Raja Bhau Chogle, MNS spokesperson Hemant Kamble, MNS Chhatrapati Sena General Secretary Rahul Topalonde, Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena Sandesh Shetty, Munawar Sheikh, Ashish Mark, Prathamesh Banerjee, Santosh Yadav joined Shiv Sena in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. On this occasion, Shinde welcomed all of them into the party and wished them well for their future. On this occasion, Shiv Sena General Secretary Rahul Shivale, Shiv Sena Secretary Sushant Shelar, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mahatre and all local office bearers and workers of Shiv Sena were present.

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Maharashtra

“I Picked Him Up from the Footpath and Made Him an MLA, But He Did Nothing for the Party”: Abu Asim Azmi’s Sharp Attack on Rais Shaikh

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15 hours ago

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January 6, 2026

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Mumbai: (Kamar Ansari)The internal rift within the Samajwadi Party in Maharashtra has now come out in the open. Maharashtra Samajwadi Party President Abu Asim Azmi, in an interview to a private YouTube channel, launched a scathing attack on party MLA from Bhiwandi, Rais Shaikh. Azmi claimed that he had “picked Rais Shaikh up from the footpath and made him an MLA on a Samajwadi Party seat,” but alleged that Shaikh has never worked for the welfare or strengthening of the party.

Abu Asim Azmi accused Rais Shaikh of continuously working against the Samajwadi Party and said that he should resign from the party on moral grounds. According to Azmi, Rais Shaikh personally conducted interviews of candidates for the Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation and Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections and played a key role in ticket distribution. He further alleged that Congress candidates were deliberately fielded against Samajwadi Party candidates in order to defeat them.

Azmi stated that when the party refused to give a ticket to Rais Shaikh’s brother, Shaikh, out of resentment, encouraged his supporters to contest elections on Congress tickets against Samajwadi Party candidates. He also accused Rais Shaikh of promoting dynastic politics, which the party strongly opposed, leading to the denial of tickets.

On the other hand, Rais Shaikh has so far failed to clearly explain where his political loyalties lie. While Congress candidates are reportedly contesting elections with his support, he has not formally resigned from the Samajwadi Party. Abu Asim Azmi said that Rais Shaikh’s “double-faced politics” would soon be exposed before the public. He also hinted at strict action against Shaikh after the municipal corporation elections.

Responding to the allegations, Rais Shaikh claimed that several political parties are using his photographs without his consent to mislead voters and gain electoral advantage. He maintained that he was not involved in any decision related to ticket distribution within the Samajwadi Party and that he had been sidelined by the party much earlier. According to Shaikh, the candidates contesting on Congress tickets have been given tickets by the Congress party itself, and he has no connection with those decisions.

Amid this political tug-of-war, Muslim voters associated with the Samajwadi Party find themselves in a state of confusion. They are unsure whether to support Congress candidates allegedly backed by Rais Shaikh or to vote for official Samajwadi Party candidates, as it remains unclear who is aligned with whom in this election.

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