Chandigarh: Bike-taxi drivers protest against aggregator bans, seek legal route

Union president Sahil Kumar said riders had been providing services for years and contributing to government revenue through taxes

Bike-taxi riders staged a peaceful protest outside Elante Mall on Saturday, seeking resumption and legal recognition of bike-taxi services in Chandigarh after the licences of four major app-based aggregators—Ola, Uber, InDrive and Rapido—were suspended. The tricity riders welfare society and Chandigarh app based workers union said the action left thousands of riders without their primary source of livelihood and disrupted an affordable mode of transport for commuters.

The protesters outside Elante Mall in Chandigarh on Saturday. (HT Photo)

Union president Sahil Kumar said riders had been providing services for years and contributing to government revenue through taxes. He said students, IT employees, domestic workers and office staff relied on bike taxis for relatively low-cost daily travel, and the sudden suspension affected both riders and passengers.

The union said riders were willing to pay taxes and obtain permits, but the existing process for converting motorcycles into commercial vehicles was difficult. Kumar claimed that very few motorcycles had been converted into commercial vehicles in Chandigarh in the past five years despite demand from people wanting to enter the sector.

The riders have sought simplification of the commercial-bike process in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana. Alternatively, they have proposed a local daily, weekly or monthly permit or tax system for non-transport motorcycles, allowing them to operate through aggregators in line with the Centre’s Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025.

The union warned of escalating the agitation, including depositing bike keys at the STA office and a possible chakka jam. Another protest has been announced at Tribune Chowk at 10 am on Monday.