State cracks down on apps using autos, bikes for goods delivery

Chennai: State transport commissioner Kiran Gurrala wrote to app-based platforms including Uber, Porter and Rapido, directing them to immediately cease using two-wheelers and passenger autorickshaws for transporting goods.In the letters dated Feb 16, accessed by TOI, the commissioner said passenger autorickshaws operate under contract carriage permits and cannot be used as goods carriages. Violations attract action under Sections 192A and 207 of Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicle Rules, including seizure and fines up to 5,000 for the first offence and 10,000 for repeat offences.
Separately, the commissioner also instructed enforcement officials to conduct surprise inspections during morning and evening hours starting Tuesday. Officials were directed to seize those found violating permit conditions and immediately report details of the app used and vehicle particulars to the commissioner's office.The action followed continuous protests and repeated complaints by the Federation of Tamil Nadu Auto and Call Taxi Drivers' Associations, which accused app platforms of eroding their livelihoods by allowing goods movement through passenger vehicles and two-wheelers.Explaining the decision to temporarily suspend protests from Tuesday, A Zakir Hussain, president of the group, said, "The transport department assured action not only against app platforms but also against YouTubers and social media influencers who spread reels claiming private white-board vehicles can be illegally used for hire."Some commuters, however, said the move would disrupt a service they came to rely on for short-distance deliveries within the city. D Ramakrishnan, a resident from Adambakkam, said that delivery apps helped send small courier packets and food to schools or offices during afternoons, reducing pressure to prepare everything early in the morning. "For a 10-km delivery within Chennai, app-based services and couriers cost 130–180, but apps deliver within one hour while couriers take one day or more," he said.