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Chandigarh Police Outsmart Banned Ride-Hailing Drivers in Ongoing Crackdown
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News18•08-10-2026, 14:01
Chandigarh Police Outsmart Banned Ride-Hailing Drivers in Ongoing Crackdown
- •Chandigarh Police and the State Transport Authority have taken action against 915 vehicles, challaning 812 and impounding 103, while collecting Rs 91.5 lakh in fines following the ban on Ola, Uber, Rapido, and inDrive.
- •Drivers are using clever evasion tactics such as switching to airplane mode after booking, cancelling rides mid-journey, and asking passengers to lie to enforcement teams.
- •Authorities are fighting back by using the banned apps themselves to book rides in disguise, catching unauthorized drivers red-handed.
- •Bike taxis make up nearly 70% of all vehicles caught during the crackdown, reflecting their massive continued presence on city roads despite the suspension.
- •The Chandigarh administration suspended the aggregators for failing to comply with safety, insurance, and operational rules under the Motor Vehicles Aggregators Rules 2025, and has asked the Centre to restrict app access altogether.
Key Questions Answered
The licences were suspended because the companies failed to comply with mandatory requirements under the Chandigarh Administration Motor Vehicles Aggregators Rules, 2025, which include driver insurance and training, fair fares, vehicle eligibility, and safety norms.
Enforcement agencies are booking rides through the suspended apps while posing as regular passengers to catch drivers operating illegally, resulting in action against 915 vehicles including fines and impoundments.
Drivers avoid detection by switching their phones to airplane mode after accepting bookings, asking passengers to cancel app bookings and pay privately, or falsely claiming they were hired directly from a parking spot.
