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K’taka govt e-bike proposal calls it cheapest mode of transport
Bengaluru: E-bike taxis are expected to be the cheapest mode of transport in the city as per the draft recommendations sent by the state transport department to the government
Bengaluru: E-bike taxis are expected to be the cheapest mode of transport in the city as per the draft recommendations sent by the state transport department to the government.
According to the recommendations submitted last week, e-bikes are expected to charge ₹25 for the first 5 km and ₹50 for 10 km for electric bike taxis. After an opposition from the cab and autorickshaw drivers against the introduction of e-bikes, the department has proposed to decide to limit the operations of an e-bike within a radius of 10 km.
In July, former chief minister BS Yediyurappa unveiled the Karnataka Electric Bike Taxi scheme-2021 with an aim to in a bid to generate employment, bring down pollution and reduce dependence on private vehicles in Bengaluru.
The minimum fare for autorickshaws for the first 1.9 km is ₹25 and ₹13 is charged for every additional kilometre. This translates to around ₹61 for 5 km. In the case of cabs, the minimum fare is ₹75 for small cabs and ₹150 for luxury taxis for the first 4km. After that ₹18 (non-ac) and ₹24 (AC) are charged for additional kilometre.
A senior transport department official said the department would allow only electric bike taxis to be operated in the city as of now. “We will allow any platform that invests in e-bikes, employs riders and provides taxi services to customers by charging fares fixed by the government. But no permission will be given to operate as an aggregator by attaching private bikes (whiteboard) and run them as bike taxis,” said the official.
In past few years, the bike taxi services and the government have been at loggerhead over the use of motorcycles as taxies. Several companies have expressed their interest in getting the e-bike license but there are concerns about government regulations stalling such an initiative.
Soon after the launch of bike taxis by cab-aggregators like Ola and Uber in 2016, the transport department cracked down on them, seizing vehicles since there were no provisions in existing laws for bike taxies. In fact, the bike taxies were not allowed to apply for a license either.
In July, following a direction from the high court to allow bike taxi services to apply for the license, a ride-sharing company Rapido filed an application before the State Transport Authority (STA) seeking permission to run bike taxi services in the city. However, the transport department is yet to respond to their request.
According to the transport department, even though registrations are open, they are yet to receive any requests for e-bike taxies. According to the department, any company with more than 100 electrics bikes can apply for a license from the state transport authority. This rule will be applicable for the aggregators as well. At the same time, any company, or individuals with less than 100 vehicles can apply for a license from the respective Regional Transport Offices, according to the department.
According to the department, three companies have expressed interest to operate electronic bike taxis in the city, however, they are yet to apply for licence.
“We appreciate the Karnataka government’s decision to let electric two-wheeler vehicles register as a commercial bike taxi. This is a long-awaited step in the right direction and will help people utilize their well-earned assets to earn a livelihood,” Aravind Sanka, co-founder, Rapido had said after the government announced the e-bike policy in July this year.
However, criticising government’s rules as archaic and impractical, a senior executive of a bike taxi company, on the condition of anonymity, “There was an opportunity for a a person who couldn’t afford to own a car, to make a living using his motorcycle, but government demands, such as not allowing two-wheelers with whiteboards, are not conducive for it. We are excited about the e-bike policy but concerned about what outdated regulations we might have to face in the fine print of the e-bike policy,” said the official.
However, the department has laid out conditions for issuing licenses, such as mandatory yellow number plates, Similarly, yellow helmets should be worn by bike riders and passengers. The rider should also wear a jacket with reflective colour, with the words ‘electric bike taxi’ written on it.
