Following the Karnataka Excessive Courtroom’s latest order suspending the companies of motorbike taxis, aggregator Rapido and Uber ceased operations within the state Monday. In a notification to its clients on the app, Rapido stated, “Beginning June 16, 2025, our Bike Taxi companies in Karnataka might be paused in compliance with latest Excessive Courtroom orders. Whereas we deeply consider within the worth bike taxis carry to day by day commuters, we respect the regulation and can totally abide by the directive.”
It added, “We stay dedicated to the communities we serve and looking forward to a future the place handy, inexpensive mobility is accessible to all. We’re navigating the way in which ahead with the federal government to carry your favorite bike taxis again on the highway quickly.”
A screenshot reveals bike taxis nonetheless working on Ola App.
In the meantime, Ola App appeared to proceed to supply bike taxi companies regardless of the excessive courtroom’s order to droop bike taxi operations in Karnataka pending formation of guidelines underneath part 93 of the Motor Automobiles Act.
With the ban kicking in, commuters are already feeling the pinch, with some complaining about having to shell out more cash to rent autorickshaws. Akash Kollur, lamented on X, “I used to be paying a most quantity of Rs 55 for a motorbike taxi from Thippasandra to Indiranagar on a regular basis to my workplace. Presently, I have to pay Rs 85 for autorickshaw. Hiring offline autorickshaws might be like IPL public sale in Bengaluru.”
The ban comes after a division bench of the Karnataka Excessive Courtroom refused to remain a single bench’s April 2 order that directed all bike taxi operators to droop operations inside six weeks which was later prolonged by a couple of extra weeks.
Performing Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao noticed on June 13 that an interim aid might have been given to aggregators, supplied the state authorities thought of drafting a motorbike taxi coverage. “Nonetheless, on this case, the state authorities has clearly made a coverage choice (of not being to border a motorbike taxi coverage),” he famous.
State Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has emphasised that the federal government isn’t inclined in the direction of drafting a motorbike taxi coverage and that white-board two wheelers can’t be used for industrial functions.
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A number of bike taxi operators and trade our bodies like Nationwide Affiliation of Software program and Service Corporations (Nasscom) and Web and Cell Affiliation of India (IAMAI) requested the state authorities to roll again the ban and referred to as for a complete bike taxi coverage to assist the lakhs of drivers depending on such operations.
On Sunday, Namma Bike Taxi Affiliation wrote a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Chief of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi expressing issues over the livelihood of lakhs of gig staff partaking in bike taxi operations. The affiliation, in its letter, acknowledged, “Over 1,00,000 gig staff in Bengaluru and throughout Karnataka are dropping our proper to earn and feed our households due to a blanket ban on bike taxi companies. A few of us work all 7 days, overlaying 10-12 hours a day, simply to feed our households. We trip within the sizzling solar, heavy rain, and visitors to maintain town shifting.”
It additional acknowledged, “Passengers additionally undergo. Many use bike taxis for fast, low-cost rides. These are the one inexpensive rides for hundreds, particularly the place buses are few. We do almost 8 crore journeys in a yr. Who will assist these riders now?”
In the meantime, Rapido had earlier argued {that a} blanket ban within the absence of regulation would straight impression the livelihoods of over 6 lakh individuals throughout Karnataka.
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The corporate additionally submitted that it had disbursed over Rs 700 crore to captains and paid over Rs 100 crore in GST contributions throughout classes in Bengaluru during the last years.
Rapido had acknowledged that over 75 per cent of motorbike taxi riders use the platform as their chief supply of livelihood, incomes a mean of Rs 35,000 per thirty days.
The corporate additionally stated that two-wheeler contract carriage had been authorized for the reason that inception of the Motor Automobile Act 1988, with an advisory to this impact issued by the Centre reiterating this place in regulation.
