India’s Gojek Moment? MoRTH Greenlights Bike Taxis

MoRTH issues fresh guidelines allowing states to legalise personal two-wheelers as taxis, paving the way for Gojek-style ride-hailing in India with flexible fees and a light-touch regulatory framework.

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In a progressive step that could reshape India’s urban mobility landscape, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued new guidelines allowing state governments to permit the use of personal two-wheelers as taxis. This marks a major policy shift, with potential to unlock flexible, affordable transport solutions and bring India closer to the ride-hailing models successfully implemented in Southeast Asia, particularly Gojek in Indonesia.

Paving the Way for Legal Bike Taxi Services

Under the revised framework, state governments may allow private motorcycles to operate as taxis under authorised aggregators, enabling shared mobility services for passengers as well as hyperlocal deliveries. The move is expected to ease traffic congestion, reduce vehicular pollution, and improve last-mile connectivity — all while creating livelihood opportunities for urban riders.

States can also impose flexible fees on aggregators to issue authorisations — daily, weekly, or fortnightly — for non-commercial motorcycles used in ride-hailing.

MoRTH clarified that these guidelines aim to establish a “light-touch regulatory system” focused on rider safety and driver welfare, keeping pace with the fast-evolving aggregator landscape.

Gojek: A Model India Could Emulate?

The new policy direction echoes the Gojek model in Indonesia, where motorcycle taxis (“ojeks”) are a core part of everyday transport. Gojek has integrated ride-hailing, food delivery, courier services, and digital payments into a single app — all powered by a fleet of personal motorcycles. The platform has become a pillar of convenience and income generation in Southeast Asia.

India’s vast base of two-wheeler owners and tech-savvy consumers makes it well-positioned to replicate Gojek’s success, especially in tier-1 and tier-2 cities where traffic and infrastructure challenges limit the effectiveness of traditional taxis.

However, while Gojek operates in a fully legalised and centralised framework in Indonesia, India’s success will depend on how quickly and uniformly state governments adopt MoRTH’s guidelines and whether they can streamline local compliance for aggregators.

From Legal Grey Area to Policy-Driven Growth

The announcement also addresses long-standing legal ambiguity. In states like Karnataka, courts had previously banned bike taxis due to the absence of clear regulations. These new guidelines offer the legal clarity and operational framework needed to lift such bans and bring two-wheeler ride-hailing into the formal economy.

What Lies Ahead?

For riders, this opens up new low-cost, efficient transport choices. For aggregators and gig workers, it unlocks flexible earning opportunities using existing personal vehicles. And for urban India as a whole, it could signal the beginning of a more sustainable, tech-driven mobility ecosystem.