New Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines To Regulate Shared Mobility, Reduce Pollution

New Delhi: The Centre, on Friday, issued the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020 with an aim to regulate shared mobility and reduce traffic congestion as well as pollution.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways stated in a release that the guidelines seek to establish a regulatory framework for aggregators by state governments to ensure that the aggregators are accountable and responsible for the operations executed by them.

“The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 has been amended by the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019 to include the definition of the term aggregator,” it said.

Prior to the amendment, the regulation of aggregator was not available, it said.

“MoRTH has issued the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020 as per the requirements and provisions of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 and further as per the amended Section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988,” the release said.

As per the guidelines, the licence issued by the state government is a mandatory pre-requisite for permitting business operations by the aggregator. For regulating the aggregators, the guidelines specified by the Centre may be followed by state governments, the release stated.

The objectives of issuing these guidelines also include providing ease of doing business, customer safety and driver welfare, it said.

In order to ensure compliance with the license requirements, the Act stipulates penalties under Section 93 of the Act.

The business shall also be considered as a service provided by the aggregators to serve the larger public interest in terms of generation of employment, commutation facilities to the public which is cost-effective and comfortable.

The guidelines, “enable the government to achieve its goal of ensuring maximisation of using public transport, reduced fuel consumption consequently reducing the import bill, reduced vehicular pollution thereby reduced harm to human health. “The proposed guidelines will ensure regulation of aggregators, compliances with regard to vehicles and drivers, compliances with regard to aggregator app and website, manner of fare regulation, drivers welfare, service to citizens parameters and ensuring safety, evolving concepts like pooling and ride-sharing in private cars, licence fees/security deposit, it said.