Ladakh Bikers Co-Operative – ladakh motorbike riding rules

PLANNING A MOTORBIKE TRIP TO LADAKH ON RENTAL BIKES??

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Do go through the details for do’s and Dont’s under law as per Section 74, Section 66 of MV Act 1988 and Rent a Motorcycle Scheme 1997..

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ladakh Bike Rental Cooperative Utd.  (LADAKH BIKERS UNION)

Ladakh Bikers Union – Clarification Note

Subject: Non-Permissibility of Non-Local Commercial Bikes and Renting of White

Number Plate Vehicles in Leh

Ref to: No-PSL/S-A/2025-/245, Dated 23/6/2025 from SHO PS Leh

Date: 24 June 2025

Issued by: Ladakh Bikers Union / Ladakh Bike Rental Cooperative Ltd (LBCL)

1. Why Non-Local Commercial Bikes (Self Riding) are Not Permitted in Ladakh  Non-local commercial motorcycles, particularly those registered outside Ladakh (such as

from states of Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Punjab, or Delhi etc), are  not allowed legally to operate in the UT of Ladakh, including the Highways as well as

the inner circuits, unless there is a Countersign or Agreement being consented between the two Transport Authorities of the concerning states.

Legal and Practical Reasons:

+ Jurisdiction-Specific Permits: As per the Rent a Motor Cycle Scheme, 1997, as per  Section 74 & 88 of MV Act 1988, any commercial rental motorcycle must be

registered and permitted within the same jurisdiction with a clear demarcation of ‘area or route’ where it operates. Cross-jurisdiction operations without

countersigning with other ARTO within the state and without countersigning with other state’s Transport Authority, outside the state, are not valid or illegal.

(Annexure 1)

+ MORTH Clarification (10.11.2023): The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

(MoRTH), during a high-level meeting chaired by Deputy Secretary (MVL), recognized that permits issued under the Rent a Motor Cycle Scheme are being

misused and assured the Hon’ble High Court (CWP No. 4911 of 2022, Manali

Bikers Association vs UO! & Others) that such permits will be revisited and modified as per law. As per section 88(9) of MV Act 1988, ‘All India Tourist Permit’

can only be granted to Cabs and not to the Motorcycles. (Annexure 2)

— Page 2 —

+ Regulatory Enforcement by UT Ladakh: In alignment with MoRTH’s clarification, the UT Transport Department and Ladakh Police have initiated on-ground

enforcement to stop non-local rentals from operating in restricted areas. With the laws in hand the Administration of UT Ladakh and Government of Himachal

Pradesh are underprocess of a agreement which with mutual understanding have opened up NH3(Leh- Manali Highway) ONLY, as the route specified for LA and HP

bikes to operate legally under the countersign as per section 88(5) of MV Act.

(Annexure 3 & 4)

2. Why Renting of White Number Plate Motorcycles is Illegal

Renting white number plate (private) vehicles violates the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and attracts penal action, including seizure and legal prosecution.

Legal Grounds:

+ Section 66 of MV Act, 1988: No person shall use a motor vehicle as a transport vehicle without a valid permit. White number plate vehicles are registered for private use only and cannot be legally rented or used for commercial transport.

(Annexure 5).

+ Insurance and Liability Risk: In case of an accident, insurance becomes void if the vehicle was being used commercially despite being privately registered. This puts the rider and owner both at legal and financial risk.

+ Violation of Permit Conditions: Such practices not only violate law but also undermine fair trade practices among legally registered commercial operators.

+ The Members/Bike Rental Operators of Ladakh Bikers Union before 2022 used to operate its rental businesses with White Number Plates. But after the adoption of

Rent a Motorcycle Scheme by the administration of UT Ladakh, all the operators converted their bikes to legal commercial bikes under Rent a Motorcycle

Scheme by paying due taxes in permit, fitness and Trade authorization, enabling “Black & Yellow’ HSRP number plates to all. The whole conversion and doing

business as per the defined law doesn’t makes sense if White Number plate illegal

Rental bikes are allowed to operate freely by the administration as well as the police.

— Page 3 —

3. Clarifying the Invalidity of “National Permits” on Motorcycles

Some operators claim to hold a “National Permit” to allow their motorcycles to operate commercially across India. This is a misinterpretation of the law.

Section 88 of the MV Act, 1988 — Key Provisions:

+ National Permits are for Goods Carriages Only:

Section 88 deals with counter-signature of permits and interstate transport, but this applies only to transport vehicles (i.e., goods and passenger vehicles), not for two-wheelers.

+ Motorcycles are not covered:

Under Central Motor Vehicles Rules, there is no provision for granting a “national permit” to a motorcycle under the Rent a Motor Cycle Scheme or otherwise.

“No national permit can be issued for a motorcycle as per the scope of Section 88. Any such document issued under that claim is invalid and can be considered fraudulent.”

+ MoRTH and Court Interpretation:

MoRTH has acknowledged misuse of permits and committed to re-evaluation of such misuse during legal proceedings (Ref: CWP 4911/2022). (Annexure 1)

4. Myths & Facts

There has been various myths and misinformation being circulated across the social media, creating misunderstanding among Non Local travel agents and tourists.

+ Myth – Tourists are Stopped and harassed in Ladakh.

Fact — ‘Athiti Dewo Bawa’. Ladakh is one of the favorite tourist destination not only domestically but also internationally. For Bikers and motorcycle enthuasists,

Ladakh is a heaven and spiritual home. Only illegal Vehicles and non commercial bikes are being reported to the concerned authority which in many instances in

the pasts has also records of heavy panelty and seizure of the illegal bikes being possessed. Such activities are considered harassment by few individuals spreading

misinformation among others.

+ Myth – National Highway should be open to all. Why restriction on it.

Fact — As per MV Act 1988, section 74(2), the permit of a Commercial vehicle needs to be defined ‘a specific route or area’ under which the vehicle is allowed

to ply. There is no mention of the National Highways as an exception.  also enabled the government of HP & LA to define NH3 Only(and not NH1) has a

route for agreement.

+ Myth—My Private bike has been stopped and harassed.

Fact – No authority has the right to stop a private registered vehicle being used for individual purpose. The Fact lies with the illegal activity being conducted by

various Rental owners especially from Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab and JK by renting out white number plate bikes to customers and tourists. It Clearly violates the

section 66 of MV Act 1988. Fake affidavits, pseudo sale agreements, fake permits and fooling ladakh bound tousirt in the name of having complete paperwork has

been some of the tactics used in violating the section 66 of the MV Act.

5. LBCL’s Commitment and Request

The Ladakh Bikers Union (LBCL), representing the collective voice of local operators, firmly asserts:

+ Only locally registered commercial motorcycles with valid Rent-a-Bike permits from UT Ladakh can legally operate in whole of Ladakh unless there are

Commercial Bikes being Countersigned or falls under agreement between the Transport authorities of both the states.

+ Renting white number plate motorcycles is illegal and unethical and should be reported. We as a union have never intercepted or taken the law in our hands but

have all the time reported such cases to the concerned ARTO, RTO and Police department for which we feel strict commitment and cooperation in restricting

such illegal rental business to be countered in our state.

+ No “National Permit” or cross-border rental license is valid for motorcycles under current law, unless there is an agreement or countersign between the states.

+ We as the Union has been very Vocal and remain so in the future also in reporting such illegal operation to the concerned authorities because it comes as a direct

threat to our bread and butter. With more than 5000+ Families depending on the bike Rental business in Ladakh and also supporting the government in terms of

Taxes, abiding by the law and doing everything legally, we feel biased when such illegal operations are treated unseen and neglected in the name of Tourism.

— Page 5 —

5. Appeal to Tourists and Enforcement Agencies

We request:

+ Tourists: Please verify that your rental is from a locally permitted commercial rental agency. Always ask for a copy of the valid transport permit and insurance.

Whenever you are renting a motorcycle, especially from outside ladakh, always ask and check for ‘Valid Permit’ mentioning routes and areas it can cover. If you

intend to travel beyond that jurisdiction mentioned in the permit, you may face issues from the law enforcement, insurance claims and others.

+ Law Enforcement: Law Enforcement in ladakh has always been vigilant in such cases and their Continueous proactive checks at various entry points across

ladakh. Many question the over-activeness and strictness on illegal motorcycle checking in Ladakh, unline other states. The main reason behind this is Ladakh

being a dream destination of bikers and the outnumbered inflow of bikers from across the globe. This required proper checking and enforcement of rules as per

law. There are very limited States in whole of India who have fully adopted this ‘Rent a motorcycle scheme 1997’. The best example defining the law would be

the first state adopting the law, i.e Goa. No Commercial Bikes of Goa will be ever allowed to ply outside to state because they know the law and understands its

illegal for their commercial bike to go beyond Goa border due to permit restrictions.

+ Hoteliers, Travel Agents, and Aggregators: Do not promote or associate with illegal rentals. Support local, legal businesses.

— Issued in Public and Administrative Interest —

Ladakh Bikers Union (LBCL)

[For more Details, Contact if needed]

M:6006970171 M: 9419997199 M:7006460617

Tashi Yountan Spalgon Kanji L: 01982-468351

President General Secretary Office Contact

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