Bike taxis are just a tap away in Punjab. As many as 100 Uber bike taxis were rolled out on Tuesday to ply in Mohali, ludhiana, Zirakpur and Kharar. Soon, bike taxis by Ola may also be seen zooming on State’s roads.
Interestingly, two women bikers have also opted under the scheme aimed at generating jobs for the State’s unemployed youth - one each in Mohali and Zirakpur.
The Uber bike taxis were flagged off by the State Finance Minister, Manpreet Badal, on behalf of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, as part of the Government’s ‘Apni Gaddi, Apna Rozgar’ programme as promised by the Congress in poll manifesto.
Capt Amarinder had earlier given the go-ahead to the launch of bike taxis in the State in May.
“Bike-sharing services like uberMOTO will not only contribute greatly to improving last-mile connectivity in Punjab and cutting congestion, but also be instrumental in creating thousands of entrepreneurship and economic opportunities for the youth in the state,” said Manpreet.
UberMOTO is already available in Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Ahmedabad, said Uber India and South Asia head-public policy Shweta Rajpal Kohli.
Uber’s Delhi NCR and North India’s general manager Prabhjeet Singh said: “We aim to generate another 10,000 entrepreneurial opportunities in Punjab in the next one year and a total of 45,000 opportunities in the next five years.”
Under the policy, currently in the process of finalisation by the Punjab Transport Department, existing and new motorcycle owners will be able to get commercial permits and licences to run two-wheelers as pillion taxis.
The Apni Gaddi, Apna Rozgar scheme, as proposed in the manifesto, envisages one lakh taxis, commercial lCVs and other vehicles to be provided to unemployed youth every year at subsidised rates, without collateral and with the government standing guarantee.
Two women drivers signed up Kohli said two women driver partners have signed up in Punjab so far and can operate at the hours they want. One is 52-year-old grandmother Paramjeet Kaur from Mohali’s Phase XI, and another in mother of 11-year-old Madhu Bala from Zirakpur.
Madhu is already a part-time accountant and an lIC agent, while her husband is in a private job. “It’s a mistaken belief that women are only meant to do domestic work. I think women are no way lesser than men,” she said.
Struggling all her life after losing her husband in her youth, Paramjeet believed that working as bike taxi driver would supplement the family income.
Three challans on first day
Three Uber bike taxis were challaned in Chandigarh for operating in the city without permit on the very first day of its launch. Chandigarh’s State Transport Authority (STA) has issued challans to three bike taxis of Rs 5,000 each. Even as the bike taxis can operate in Mohali, they do not have the permit to operate in Chandigarh. The draft policy for operating bike taxis in the city has been prepared, but has not yet got the approval.