Bike Taxi Services Resume In Bengaluru After Two Months

Bengaluru: Bike taxi services have been resumed in Bengaluru by ride hailing apps after a gap of two months. The development comes after the Karnataka High Court orally asked the state government not to take any coercive action against bike taxi riders stating livelihoods of lakhs of people are at stake.

Hearing petitions of bike hailing apps challenging the single bench verdict prohibiting operations of bike taxis until the government formulates a policy, the division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi directed the state government to clarify its stance on formulating a policy with regard to bike taxi services by September 22.

The bench said operation of bike taxis is permissible under law and the government's policy decision not to allow them has resulted in prohibiting a legitimate commerce. While the state is free to regulate the sector, the regulation cannot translate into an outright ban, the bench added.

While the bench did not pass any interim order, it asked the state government to give the matter a serious thought as livelihoods of several people are at stake. Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty told the court that a conscious decision will be taken at the highest level on whether there should be a policy on bike taxis.

Further he said there were around six lakh bike taxis operating in Bengaluru and cited congestion and safety issues as reasons for not allowing them on the roads.

The bench then asked if the AG has any material to show that bike taxis are causing congestion. "Are you suggesting cars and auto-rickshaws cause less congestion? Bike taxis are permitted in 13 states and are providing affordable, safe and efficient last-mile connectivity," the bench said. Bike taxi services were suspended in the state from June 16 following the government's ban and a single-judge bench of the high court's refusal to intervene in the matter.

The single-judge bench had said unless the state government comes out with a policy notifying relevant guidelines under Section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act, the petitioners cannot operate bike taxis. Following the court's decision, bike taxi operators like Rapido and Uber had removed the bike taxi option from their apps.

Reacting to the decision of the ride hailing apps to resume bike taxi services, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the high court had not permitted resumption of services as per his knowledge. "However, I will discuss the matter with the officials and then take a decision in this regard," he told reporters.

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