BENGALURU: Despite the Karnataka High Court ban on bike taxis, some were seen operating on Monday. Officials from the Transport Department said they are enforcing the ban and seized 103 vehicles found operating as bike taxis.
Transport officials, who began the crackdown on Monday morning, said they were seizing vehicles operating illegally and levying fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000. The Bangalore West Regional Transport Office booked the highest number of cases with 16, followed by the K R Puram RTO with 13 and 12 from the Bangalore East RTO.
Some netizens claimed that the bike taxi service providers may have halted ‘bike taxi’ services but are continuing operations in disguise, under the name of ‘bike parcel service’, a parcel delivery service.
One social media user said that passengers can now book a parcel service and then deliver themselves to their destination, while another added that there should be a label on the passenger: Handle with care. Such humorous social media posts were doing the rounds on Monday.
Transport Commissioner Yogeesh told TNIE that they will continue the crackdown and called upon bike taxi operators to abide by the High Court ban, or else they would face action.
President of Ola Uber Drivers’ and Owners’ Association, Tanveer Pasha, said, “The bike taxi ban is a welcome ban. However, some of the bike taxi operators are seen running the services. Contempt of court should be filed against them.”
He demanded that the Transport Department create enough awareness among the general public that bike taxis are banned, and that vehicles found operating would be seized.
An official Uber spokesperson said, “Uber has taken the difficult decision to suspend bike taxi operations in Karnataka from June 16 following an order from the High Court. This will negatively impact many thousands of riders who rely on bike taxis for their daily mobility needs, as well as the many thousands of drivers who rely on the service for their livelihood. We will continue engaging with the Government of Karnataka to help shape a progressive policy framework that enables safe, accessible, and affordable mobility options for everyone.”