Hyderabad: The Road Transport Authority (RTA) has said that the use of personal two-wheelers to deliver a range of goods and services, from shops, restaurants, pizza parlours to courier services, banks etc, is illegal because using personal vehicles for commercial purposes is a violation of tax rules.
Thousands of youths work in the city as delivery boys. They have a better chance of being recruited if they own and drive a two-wheeler. Their livelihood is in jeopardy if transport authorities in metropolitan cities decide to crack down on this practice.
In Ahmedabad there is a proposal to shift such vehicles to the goods transport category, and mount special drives against delivery bikes and scooters. In Bengaluru, too, penalties are being imposed on plying such vehicles.
Hyderabad Joint Transport Commissioner J. Pandurang Naik said that using private vehicles for commercial purpose is against the rules.
“We have already introduced two-wheeler-cabs and about 60 such vehicles have been registered with Central Zone. We are planning to send proposals to the government on goods and food delivery motorcycles and scooters in the city on par with the two-wheeler-cabs,” he said.Under section 192 of the Central Motor Vehicle Act, using private vehicles for commercial purposes attracts a penalty of up to Rs 5,000.
However, retired additional commissioner of transport and transport expert, C. L. N. Gandhi, says that it is not a violation of rules as the Act does not address two-wheeler goods vehicles.
“Until and unless the central government makes amendments in the Central Motor Act, we should consider two-wheelers as private vehicles and no action should be taken if anyone uses it for commercial purpose. As two-wheeler-cabs are addressed in the Act during amendments, carrying passengers with private number plate comes under violation of rules. There is no such amendment for two-wheeler goods carriers,” he said.
