Uber Shuttle Services Suspended In Mumbai Amid Transport Minister's Crackdown Order

Ride-hailing platform Uber on Friday notified its users that 'Uber Shuttle'—its intracity bus service—has been temporarily suspended in Mumbai.

"...we've temporarily paused Uber Shuttle services in your city as we re-evaluate how best to serve you with a reliable and sustainable experience," Uber said in an email to customers.

The company added it is refunding the amounts for any unutilised subscription packages.

Uber's suspension of shuttle services comes after Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik reportedly announced on Thursday a crackdown on aggregator bus services, including Uber Shuttle and Cityflo, due to failure to receive the necessary license from the state government.

Sarnaik said that strict measures will be taken against senior RTO officials who neglected to take action against the unauthorised bike taxis and aggregator buses operating illegally in the city, the Times of India reported.

"When I enquired with RTO officials, they said they have served notices to the bus aggregators and are awaiting response. But they should conduct raids and penalise them or stop the services," the newspaper quoted the minister as saying.

Sarnaik was further reported as saying that a policy for bus aggregators can be formulated to benefit a larger section of commuters, but "illegal operations" of app-based buses has to be halted.

A Cityflo spokesperson reportedly told TOI that the company had applied for a license months ago and was following up with the state government.

The company has also provided its compliance documents to the transport department and shared its willingness to work with authorities to offer bus services, the spokesperson reportedly added.