The Karnataka High Court had ordered bike taxis to halt operations across the state within six weeks — stressing the need for regulatory clarity. The court also gave state authorities three months to formulate rules and regulations for bike taxi services. The announcement is likely to increase commuter woes for Bengaluru — coming mere weeks after metro and bus fares were also hiked significantly.
“The transport department cannot be directed to register motorcycles as transport vehicles or issue contract carriage permits for such services until appropriate government regulations are in place,” Indian Express quoted Justice Prasad as saying.
The court said that companies such as Rapido, Ola and Uber would not be allowed to operate bike taxis in the state unless the government notified relevant guidelines under Section 3 of the Motor Vehicles Act and imposed necessary rules. The state government had argued that bike taxis were illegal because they cannot operate as commercial vehicles. Considering this, the court has now ordered that it is not possible.
Bike taxi services have been banned in several states of India including Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu over the past few years — with some later opting to revoke the curbs. According to reports on Tuesday, Maharashtra is likely to resume the service in the coming weeks with certain stipulations in place. The proposal has been cleared by the state Cabinet and pertains to cities of the state with a population more than one lakh. It will only allow e-bikes to ferry passengers for up to 15 kilometers within urban areas.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said that a revenue model was still being finalised by the government. The introduction of these e-bike taxis is expected to generate around 20,000 jobs — with half that number created in Mumbai. He also said that e-vehicles with a partition between the driver and pillion riders and a roof cover for monsoon would not be allowed.