BENGALURU: The Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Associations has urged the State government to challenge the recent High Court order favouring bike taxi operations, citing serious concerns over public safety, legal interpretation and transport policy.
Referring to accident data from the police department and medical opinions from doctors at the NIMHANS, the federation said two-wheelers account for the highest share of road accidents, with nearly 70–85% of total crashes involving motorcycles. Owing to the absence of structural protection, enclosures or crash safety systems, injuries in such accidents are often severe or fatal, making motorcycles unsafe for commercial passenger transport, it argued.
The federation also cited Supreme Court rulings, including Mithilesh Garg vs Union of India (1992) and the Jai Prakash Transport cases, which held that transport permits are not a fundamental right but a statutory privilege subject to government regulation in the public interest.
It further referred to judgments such as BALCO Employees’ Union and Narmada Bachao Andolan, in which the apex court observed that courts should not interfere in policy matters.
Warning that unchecked bike taxi operations could endanger lives, the federation said they would also strain enforcement mechanisms and adversely affect the livelihoods of regulated auto, taxi and bus operators.