Bike taxis go off roads again after Karnataka HC clarification
BENGALURU: After briefly resuming operations following a two-month ban, bike taxi services on platforms such as Ola and Uber have been suspended again in Karnataka.
The move came after the Karnataka High Court clarified on August 22 that it had not passed any order permitting aggregators to operate bike taxis in the state.
These on-and-off services have left thousands of commuters in Bengaluru confused, as bike taxis were a vital, low-cost mode of transport, helping bridge last-mile gaps and cut through the city’s traffic. Their suspension is expected to worsen commuting challenges, raise travel costs, and particularly affect students, office-goers, and daily wage workers.
The uncertainty has sparked strong reactions from users on social media.
Amit, a commuter, wrote, “Respected Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, why again this ban on bike taxis? People already suffer due to bad roads and traffic. Why stop something that helps us? If there is a valid reason, explain it.”
Another user commented, “Isn’t bike taxi a solution to traffic and to end the harassment by auto drivers? Even the Supreme Court has said bike taxis are legal.”
With services repeatedly caught between legal ambiguities and enforcement action, commuters are now urging the government to lift the blanket ban and regulate bike taxis instead of keeping them in limbo.
On Friday, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi orally clarified to Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty that its earlier direction on August 20 was only to ensure that no coercive action was taken against individual riders, and not to allow aggregators to resume services.
The AG had informed the court that companies like Ola, Uber and Rapido had restarted offering bike taxis on their apps, despite no such liberty being granted. Following this, the platforms withdrew the service on Monday, leaving many commuters stranded.
Rapido launches Bike Direct
Bike Direct is a non-profit initiative by Rapido aimed at supporting captains whose livelihoods were severely impacted due to recent operational restrictions. While the High Court permitted individual captains to operate independently, no one was able to secure bookings due to the absence of a dedicated infrastructure or platform. The company clarified it is not a commercial service but a livelihood-support measure.