'Illegal, unsafe': Karnataka govt panel urges continuation of bike-taxi ban

Karnataka's expert panel has backed the continued ban on bike taxis, calling them illegal, unsafe and outside the Motor Vehicles Act

In line with the Karnataka government's stand, an expert panel has recommended the continuation of the ban on bike-taxi services in the state, while allowing app-based delivery services to continue on private two-wheelers, reported Moneycontrol.

 

The 11-member committee headed by the state's transport secretary, N V Prasad, called for an outright ban, stating that bike taxis are illegal and violate the Motor Vehicles Act, and are also unsafe for passengers due to the absence of insurance and valid permits.

 

The report says bike taxis operate outside the legal framework. Under the Motor Vehicles Act, carrying passengers on two-wheelers requires commercial registration, permits, insurance and an aggregator licence, none of which private bikes have. Since Karnataka hasn’t classified motorcycles as contract carriages, bike taxis function in a regulatory vacuum, the report added. 

 

The panel added that bike taxis contribute to worsening congestion on Bengaluru’s roads. The committee’s report stated that the city already has around 12 million vehicles, including about 10.6 million private two-wheelers and cars. Allowing bike taxis, it said, would further clog Bengaluru’s traffic instead of easing it, the report said, according to The Economic Times.

 

The report further pointed out that around 18 per cent of bike-taxi riders are college students, arguing that it can harm academic performance and long-term career prospects of such students, creating long-term harm for individuals and the state’s human-capital development, the report said, as quoted by Moneycontrol.

 

The panel further recommended the state government to increase its investment in the public transportation system to ensure last-mile connectivity.

 

On the number of bike-taxi riders, the panel recommended lawful absorption of riders into gig-economy roles in deliveries and services under the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers Act, which has provisions for the welfare of gig workers.

 

Bike taxi case in Karnataka HC

Last week, the Karnataka government informed the High Court that motorcycles cannot be treated as transport vehicles. The state made this submission during the hearing of the petitions by Rapido, Uber and Ola challenging a single-judge order that had halted bike-taxi services in the state until guidelines under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, were issued.

 

The panel report has also been submitted to the court, with the next hearing scheduled to take place on November 24.