Bike Taxi Services Suspended In Karnataka

Bike taxi services such as Rapido, Ola Bikes, and Uber Moto have been suspended in Karnataka after the High Court refused to stay an order directing bike aggregators to halt services until the state government frames rules to regulate them. While Rapido has responded to this by suspending its bike taxi services, Uber and Ola are yet to take action. 

The High Court has also issued penalties wherein if any bike is found operating as a taxi service, it will be confiscated. Riders will also be fined ranging between ₹2,000 and ₹10,000 or imprisoned for between three months and one year. Karnataka’s transport secretary N V Prasad asserted that he is fully prepared to uphold the Court’s ruling in case of any violation. While a clear process is yet to be laid out as to how the authorities will enforce this crackdown, the department will hold a meeting today to discuss modalities around it.

(Also Read: Bike Taxis Will Be Allowed In Karnataka Till June 15)

This ban on bike taxis was earlier slated to go into effect from May 15, but was extended till June 15 giving bike taxi aggregators and the state government some time to come up with a comprehensive policy. However, both are yet to come to any agreement. The biggest problem surrounding this policy stems from disagreements between traditional public transport operators and technology enabled mobility services. The former are represented by auto union workers, who have raised concerns as to how bike taxis are conducting commercial business using private number plates. 

(Also Read: Karnataka Mulling To Impose Fee On Swiggy, Zomato, Rapido, Uber, Others: Report)

However, not all hope is lost as Rapido's owner, Roppen Transportation Services Pvt. Ltd., has said it is actively working to come up with a comprehensive framework to make bike taxi operations legal. When this policy will come to fruition remains to be seen.