Delhi Govt impounds 50 Shuttl buses for permit violations, to lodge FIR against owners

The legal problem for intra-city bus service company Shuttl seems to be far from over. The company has again got entangled in the regulatory issue – and this time, with the Delhi Government.

The transport department of Delhi government is considering to prosecute the two co-founders of Shuttl for 'illegally' plying buses in the national capital.

The development comes barely a week later, when the Delhi government started its crackdown drive on the private app-based aggregator for plying buses illegally in the city. During the crackdown, the transport department had impounded over 50 Shuttl buses for permit violations.

"We are considering lodging an FIR against the owners, as even after repeated action against their operations, they have not withdrawn their services from the city," a senior Delhi government official to DNA.

He added that the company is running these buses without permit and has become a menace. The company does not have the permit of a stage carrier, yet they are running operations like this. They cannot pick up individual passengers or make routes as such.

However, Shuttl said they have not violated any law and order. "At Shuttl we believe that commute should be reliable, affordable and dignified, and we exist to take the pain away from daily commute. We are fully compliant with the law and, want to clarify that the action taken by authorities is absolutely arbitrary and without any basis," shuttle in an e-mail answer wrote to Entrackr. 

This new move of the Delhi government is in stark contrast of the earlier decisions related to Shuttl. Last year, Former Transport Minister Goapl Rai had landed in a major controversy after favouring the bus company.

Directives come from MHA and L-G

To ensure safety of women in the city, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had directed the Delhi government to ensure that no private buses were plying 'illegally'.

In addition, Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal had also directed the state transport department to impound the illegally-run private carriers within the city.

"After the L-G's directions, we have impounded over 100 buses engaged by the app-based aggregator in the last six months. These buses are contract carriers and cannot act as stage carriers to pick up individual passengers as it leads to safety concerns, besides congestion and pollution," a senior official to DNA.

However, this is not the first time when the app-based company has come at loggerheads with state authorities.

Earlier, Haryana authority had also impounded Shuttl’s buses citing the law the company is running buses without permit in Gurgaon. The authority said the company does not have the permit of a stage carrier, yet they are running operations like this.

Image credit:Shuttl