BENGALURU: E-bike taxis will soon ply the streets of Bengaluru, providing transportation that is friendly on the pocket and easy on the environment. The transport department has issued licence to a private firm -- Wicked Ride, the parent company of Bounce -- t0 operate 100 e-bike taxis and charge Rs 25 for 5km and Rs 50 for 10km. The fare will be collected based on the distance covered and not on the time taken for the journey.
“We granted permission to Wicket Ride on December 16 to operate 100 e-bike taxis in Bengaluru under the Electric Bike Taxi Scheme-2021. The licence will be valid for a period of 5 years from now. We have fixed a fare of Rs 25 for 5km and Rs 50 for 10km,” said L Hemantha Kumar, Additional Commissioner for Transport, and Secretary, Karnataka State Transport Authority. The distance between the origin and destination of a trip should not exceed 10km, he added.
In July last year, the state government had rolled out a e-bike taxi policy to strengthen urban mobility, and act as a first and last mile connectivity solution for people to access public transport, especially the Metro.
The licence specifies that the ‘bike taxi’ should be painted prominently on both sides of the two-wheeler. The driver should wear a reflective vest marked ‘electric bike taxi’ and a yellow helmet. The operator will have to provide an extra helmet for the customer.
Customers aged 15 years and above can hire e-bikes, and can carry a backpack or briefcase of reasonable weight. Transport officials said the licence is only for e-bikes to operate as bike taxis. Petrol-run white number plate vehicles operating as bike taxis as per rule cannot be used commercially to ferry passengers. The matter related to the operation of such petrol-run bike taxis is in court.
Meanwhile, autorickshaw and taxi drivers strongly opposed the move, saying it will deal a severe blow to their livelihood. “We are already facing a drop in daily income, and our drivers may have to resort to suicide if the e-bike taxis become a reality. The department is taking decisions without consulting those who will be most affected by this,” said representatives of auto and cab drivers’ unions.
M Manjunath, president, Adarsh Auto and Taxi Drivers’ Union, pointed out that they were yet to recover from the losses incurred during the Covid lockdowns. “Drivers will be placed to such hardship that it won’t be surprising if some commit suicide,” he said. In this backdrop, a meeting of all unions will be held soon to decide on our future course of action,” he said.