Rapido Gets Five-Year Karnataka Cab Licence Till 2031

App-based cab aggregator Rapido has received a five-year licence from the Karnataka State Transport Authority to operate cab services in the state. The licence, issued under the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016, is valid until August 2031.

Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited, which operates Rapido, said the licence provides regulatory continuity for its cab operations in Karnataka. The approval allows the company to continue offering cab services within the state's regulatory framework as it expands its presence across the market.

Karnataka is Rapido's home state, with the company operating across 21 cities. It currently supports more than 3.14 lakh captains and over 2.04 crore registered customers in the state. More than 69 lakh customers in Karnataka have used Rapido for cab rides, according to the company.

Speaking on the development, Pavan Guntupalli, Co-founder, Rapido, said,"Karnataka is our home state and one of our most important markets. Over the years, Rapido has become a trusted mobility platform for millions of customers in the state, while creating earning opportunities for lakhs of captains. We welcome the grant of the licence under the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016, for cab services. This development gives us the opportunity to strengthen our cab offering within a formal regulatory framework, while continuing to work closely with the Government of Karnataka and the Transport Department to support safe, reliable and accessible mobility for commuters."

Rapido's presence covers Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Davangere, Shivamogga, Ballari, Kalaburagi and Tumakuru, among other cities. The company said the licence will support its cab operations while providing greater certainty to its captains and commuters.

Rapido has also been included in the Karnataka government's Urban Mobility Mission. As part of the initiative, the company said it will work with the state on commuter access, urban travel, technology integration, safety, service reliability and earning opportunities for captains.

The development comes as app-based cab aggregators in Karnataka face increased scrutiny over compliance with government-prescribed fares. The Karnataka Transport Department has issued show-cause notices to Ola, Uber, Rapido and Namma Yatri over alleged fare violations, following complaints from taxi and driver associations.

The notices concern allegations that passengers were being charged above notified fares. Some driver and taxi associations have also alleged that aggregators were using travel time while calculating fares instead of following the government's prescribed fare structure. The companies were given a week to respond.

Rapido was founded in 2015 and operates across more than 400 cities in India. Its platform covers bike taxis, auto-rickshaws, cabs, parcel deliveries, flight bookings and food delivery. The company says more than 9 million livelihoods are supported through its cab and auto-rickshaw services nationwide.

The Karnataka cab licence therefore gives Rapido a defined five-year operating period under the state's aggregator rules, while its participation in the Urban Mobility Mission places the company within the government's wider plans for technology-enabled urban transport.