Commercial number plates must for app-bikes in Bengal: Transport Dept

The West Bengal Transport Department on Thursday announced that commercial number plates will be mandatory for app-bikes in the state. The private motorcycles and scooters giving such app-bike services will have to apply separately for registration with the state transport department and get number plates for that purpose.

The decision to enable the state transport department to generate additional revenue from this sector was taken at a meeting of the state Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty with representatives of different app-cab services providers on Tuesday, a senior official.

In the meeting, the state transport minister emphasized on bringing the app bikes under regulations similar to that of app cabs. Till now it was not mandatory for the app-bikes to have commercial number plates and many used their personal motorcycles or scooters with private number plates as app-bikes.

"However, with this decision these private motorcycle or scooter owners will now have to separately apply to the state transport department for registration to operate app-bike service and get commercial number plates for their two-wheelers," the transport department official said.