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Auto unions to protest K’taka nod to e-bike taxis
The autorickshaw unions in Bengalaru on Wednesday called for a strike on December 29 against the state government’s decision to allow e-bike taxis in the city, alleging that it has affected their business, people in the know of the matter said
The autorickshaw unions in Bengalaru on Wednesday called for a strike on December 29 against the state government’s decision to allow e-bike taxis in the city, alleging that it has affected their business, people in the know of the matter said.
The unions have also raised objections to other bike taxis “operating illegally”.
Earlier this month, the Karnataka transport department had said that it has cleared the applications of two companies, Blu Smart and Bounce, and that their license will be issued soon.
The state government introduced the Karnataka Electric Bike Taxi Scheme in 2021, primarily aiming at first and last-mile connectivity from bus stands and metro stations.
According to the scheme, the state government has fixed the fare at ₹25 for 5 km and ₹50 for 10 km. It also mandates that the distance between the origin and the destination trip should not be more than 10 km.
Autorickshaw unions claim that the introduction of e-bike taxis with such low fares will affect their business.
“We have raised the objections several times before. We are against the e-bikes which will drop passengers to 10-15 km. According to the rules, the e-bikes should be used to ferry people to metros and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation. Let them operate within the prescribed radius of the metro and bus stands,” autorickshaw drivers’ union member D Rudramurthy said.
“The transport officials did the same with Ola and Uber who were looting customers. Only after objections were raised, they took action against them and gave them notice. We have decided to go on strike on December 29 in this regard. We will go to the court also if needed,” Rudramurthy said.
According to Rudramurthy, there are about 1.4 lakh licensed autos and another 15,000- 20,000 unlicensed autos in Bengaluru.
“If passengers are taken for 15-20 km on e-bikes, they charge ₹5 per kilometre. But it’s ₹15 for autorickshaws. Customers will prefer them and our business will be affected,” Rudramurthy said.
The autorickshaw unions said in the last six decades autorickshaws have played a pivotal role in public transport.
“However, the recent arrival of app-based cab aggregators have made a mess of the system by offering attractive offers to customers and also incentives to cab drivers. They have taken control over the industry and now wield much more power than the government,” Bangalore Auto Drivers Union’s Federation in a statement said on Wednesday.
Urging the state government to withdraw the license, M Manjunath, President of Adarsh Auto Drivers’ Union, said: “The government and the transport department have also agreed that this is illegal. Now, our livelihood will be affected...If they give license to one company, others will follow. The situation is such that there is no business for autorickshaw drivers in the city. How should we sustain our livelihood?”
