Rapido halts bike taxi services in Karnataka after high court order

Ride-hailing platform Rapido on Monday suspended its services in Karnataka after a recent directive from the high court to suspend bike taxis in the state from June 16.

 

“Starting June 16, 2025, our bike taxi services in Karnataka will be paused in compliance with recent High Court orders,” the company said in an in-app message to inform its users about the development.

 

In place of a bike taxi, users now see a “bike parcel” service. 

 

“We acknowledge the Karnataka high court directive with regard to bike taxi regulation in the state starting June 16, 2025. Even though we are not the initiating party in the ongoing case, we have remained engaged throughout as a responsible stakeholder in the state’s transportation ecosystem,” Rapido said responding to queries sent by Business Standard.

 

 

Initially a bike-taxi platform, Rapido said it's a challenging moment for its captains as the service is the primary source of income for many of them. “They (bike captains) have been instrumental in delivering affordable, last-mile mobility to millions of commuters across Karnataka,” the company said.

 

“We are actively pursuing all avenues to support our captains. Rapido remains hopeful that our continued engagement with the government will pave the way for a viable framework for bike taxis and the millions of gig workers who depend on them — just as it has in several other states and Union Territories. Until then, we urge our captains and users to stand with us as we continue our constructive dialogue with the authorities in the best interest of all stakeholders,” Rapido added. 

 

In the meantime, the company said it is committed to working collaboratively with the Transport Department and the state government to shape a compliant, sustainable, and future-ready regulatory framework. Our priority is to protect the interests of gig workers while ensuring commuter safety remains paramount, the company said.

 

While Rapido has suspended operations, users were unable to book bike taxis on other mobility platforms like Ola and Uber.