Mumbai, May 13 -- Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik has written to the state cybercrime department, seeking the immediate shutdown of allegedly illegal bike taxi apps and the registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) against the companies' owners. The move comes amid the state government's intensified crackdown on ride-sharing platforms such as Rapido, Ola and Uber over alleged regulatory violations and passenger safety concerns. In his letter sent on Tuesday to the additional director general of Maharashtra's cybercrime department, Sarnaik said that several bike taxi services have been operating illegally in the state for the last few months without obtaining valid permissions, government approvals or complying with transport department rules. The number of unauthorised bike taxis has increased sharply, posing a serious concern for public safety, the letter added. "These services do not provide proper passenger safety measures. There is no proper driver verification system, insurance protection, women's safety arrangements or emergency response mechanism in place. Because of this, passengers' lives could be at risk," the letter said. Sarnaik also referred to a November 2025 incident in which a 49-year-old woman travelling on an allegedly unauthorised bike-taxi died in an accident on the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road. The minister said an FIR has already been registered in connection with the incident, adding that complaints involving illegal bike taxi services had been reported at different police stations across the state. The transport department has also raised concerns that bike taxi companies are carrying out commercial passenger transport and financial transactions, in violation of transport laws. This, Sarnaik said, was affecting the livelihoods of licensed auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers who operate under government rules. Sarnaik told reporters that he has asked the cybercrime department to immediately stop the operations of unauthorised bike taxi apps and take strict legal action against the companies, their managements and drivers under the Information Technology Act and the Motor Vehicles Act. Maharashtra's transport commissioner has also sent a similar letter to the cybercrime department, he added. The crackdown stems from allegations that aggregator platforms offering bike taxi services are not complying with the Maharashtra Bike-Taxi Rules 2025, including requirements for an electric fleet and commercial registration plates. In September last year, the state government granted provisional 30-day bike taxi licences to companies such as Rapido, Ola, and Uber, giving them a window to transition their fleets and submit compliance documents. In March, the state revoked the provisional licences of all three major aggregators, citing their failure to comply with the bike taxi rules....