On Monday, aggregator platforms Uber and Ola removed their bike taxi options from their apps, following a clarification from the Karnataka High Court that it had not issued any order permitting resumption of the service.
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According to a report in The Times of India, the court, while hearing a plea by ride-hailing companies Rapido, Uber and Ola, stressed that the state government retains full authority to regulate or act against bike taxi operations under existing laws. This statement prompted Uber and Ola to suspend their services immediately. Rapido, however, continues to operate under the name “Bike Direct,” though its legal standing remains uncertain.
For thousands of commuters in Bengaluru, bike taxis had quickly become a lifeline, offering a cheap, fast and reliable way to beat the city’s traffic and bridge gaps in public transport. Their withdrawal is expected to worsen the challenges of last-mile connectivity, increase travel times, and raise commuting costs for daily wage workers, students, and office-goers who had found bike taxis to be the most convenient option.
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{{/usCountry}}The uncertainty over bike taxis began earlier this year when the Karnataka High Court declared them illegal in the absence of a regulatory framework under the Motor Vehicles Act. In June, the court refused to stay its earlier order, forcing aggregators to stop services. On August 20, the court once again asked the state government to clarify whether it intends to bring in a policy for bike taxis, observing that “lives are at stake in this matter.” While the bench refrained from granting interim relief to the companies, platforms like Ola, Uber, and Rapido resumed services the very next day, citing commuter demand. That revival, however, has now come to an abrupt halt.
Meanwhile, bike taxi drivers have been struggling with the constant policy flip-flop. The Bike Taxi Welfare Association of Karnataka, representing over 12,000 members in Bengaluru and nearly six lakh across the state, recently met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi to highlight their plight. The delegation described the suspension of services as a “livelihood crisis,” pointing out that most riders are young workers who depend entirely on bike taxis for their income.