Chaos on Wheels: Traffic Police Crack Down on E-Bike Delivery Violations in Mumbai

Mumbai: The race to deliver food and goods within minutes is choking Mumbai's streets, with e-bike delivery riders at the center of traffic violations. Despite ongoing crackdowns, including the seizure of 1,754 e-bikes since August last year, the situation remains critical.

Joint CP Traffic Anil Kumbhare confirmed that the operation continues with an aim to smoothen traffic flow. "These e-bikes, often unregistered due to their small engine sizes under 25cc, are commonly involved in offences like rash driving, signal jumping, and not wearing helmets," he said. As such, police have been using the Bombay Police Act (BNS) to register violations. Between August 2024 and January 2025, 985 cases were booked under BNS for such infractions.

E-bike riders are often charged under provisions including:

• Section 281: Rash and negligent driving

• Section 184: Wrong-side driving

• Section 129: Failure to wear helmets

In response, traffic police have urged food delivery apps to enforce strict internal regulations. Measures suggested include driver workshops, incentive deductions, and blacklisting repeat offenders to prevent them from being rehired by competing apps. However, officials lament that despite repeated meetings with food delivery companies, no tangible action has been seen.

With over 3,394 fines issued for e-bike-related offences, authorities are calling for food delivery apps to take immediate accountability for their drivers' conduct to help alleviate Mumbai's traffic woes.