Karnataka Bike Taxi Ban: Police Detains Protesting Drivers

The Bengaluru Police reportedly detained a group of bike taxi drivers yesterday for protesting outside the Vidhana Soudha.

As per news agency PTI, the drivers were detained for protesting against the suspension of bike taxi services in the state, following a Karnataka High Court directive earlier this month. As per police officials, they were detained and dispersed from the spot right after they gathered outside the legislative assembly.

Meanwhile, a case has also been reportedly registered against them for violating certain rules and attempting to protest in front of Vidhana Soudha without prior permission.

The drivers were seeking urgent government intervention to lift the blanket ban and introduce a regulatory framework to govern bike taxi services in the state while addressing safety and regulatory concerns.

As per the report, the drivers underscored that bike taxis are an “important part of Karnataka’s transport ecosystem” as they provide jobs to thousands of people in the state.

This came barely a day after a group of bike taxi drivers met Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Dasarahalli MLA S Muniraju to seek their intervention in resuming bike taxis in the state. The drivers also wrote open letters to CM Siddaramaiah, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi.

Meanwhile, a state bike taxi union has alleged that its members were harassed by auto unions and barred from protesting at Freedom Park in Bengaluru. As per Namma Bike Taxi Association, the move to ban the services has impacted 1.5 Lakh drivers in the state

Bikes Taxis Come To A Screeching Halt In K’taka

The development comes two months after a single-judge bench of the Karnataka HC banned the operations of bike taxis in the state in April. The HC then observed that such services could not be operationalised unless the state government notified specific rules and guidelines under the Motor Vehicles Act.

Quickly afterwards, Uber, Ola and Rapido filed an appeal before a division bench of the HC, which, too, refused to stay the earlier single-judge order that suspended bike taxi services in the state.

Following the order, ride-hailing platforms like Rapido, Ola and Uber were directed to halt their operations by June 15, and the aggregators complied with the orders on June 16.

The HC orders came a year after the state government withdrew an electric bike taxi scheme, which was aimed at improving first and last-mile connectivity and creating employment opportunities. At the time, authorities cited multiple reasons for withdrawing the policy, including confrontations between auto and bike taxi drivers and issues related to women safety.

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