Coliforms bacteria are indicator of water portability but they may also harbor beneficial traits for agricultural applications. The present study focused on the detection and biosafety of waterborne non-shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria. Analysis of water samples from different localities of Lahore, Pakistan showed high MPN (most probable number) index that indicated water is not safe for drinking. Nevertheless, in vitro screening (especially for auxin production) of non-virulent strains of E. coli showed good prospects for crop inoculations. Strains of E. coli were identified by biochemical profiling using RapID™ ONE Identification System. Final taxonomic status of strains was further confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Biosafety of strains for seed bacterization of Vigna radiata (L.) was assessed by evaluating their multidrug resistance pattern and screening for surface antigen O157. Maximum auxin production for strains N-33 (135 µg ml^-I), N-40 (127 µg ml^-I), N-39 (120 µg ml^-I) and N-11 (105 µg ml^-I) was recorded in L-tryptophan amended medium. In pot trials (axenic conditions), highly significant improvements for shoot length (up to 43%), number of roots (up to 175%) and biomass (up to 150%) were recorded, over control. Similarly, at full maturity, bacterial inoculations significantly enhanced number of pods (64%) and seed weight (14%). Findings of this study suggested that, after biosafety screening, waterborne E. coli has a good prospect to be used as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria.