Page 2 - Bike Taxi

Bike taxi ban challenged in K'taka HC citing fundamental rights violation

Two individual bike owners moved the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday, challenging a recent single judge ruling that banned the operation of bike taxis in the state. The petitioners argued that the state cannot infringe upon the fundamental right to carry on a business or choose a bike taxi over the metro or a bus. Represented by Senior Advocate Dhyan Chinnappa, the owners argued that the prohibition not only contradicts provisions in the Motor Vehicles Act, but also severely impacts both their livelihood and public convenience. Appearing before a Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice C M Joshi, Chinnappa contended that the Motor Vehicles Act allows two-wheelers to be registered as transport vehicles. Therefore, the state government cannot legally refuse to issue contract carriage permits to bikes intended for taxi use. The law enables registration of two-wheelers as transport vehicles. If the statute allows it, the state cannot override it by ...

Taxi aggregators shift revenue model, but vehicle numbers a cause of worry

A zero-commission model relies on increasing numbers of taxis entering the market, but states' data shows that new taxis are growing at a slower rate than is required

Commuters feel pinch as bike-taxi firms halt ops after Karnataka HC order

Not just the customers, bike-taxi drivers are also left stranded as many depended on the service for their livelihood

Bike taxi drivers in Bengaluru plead for relief as Karnataka ban begins

Workers urge lawmakers to regulate rather than shut down the sector as Karnataka's High Court decision enforces ban, hitting gig workers dependent on the service

Rapido rider slaps woman in Bengaluru after argument, video goes viral

A Rapido bike taxi rider was caught on camera slapping a woman passenger in Bengaluru allegedly after an argument over rash driving

K'taka HC refuses to stay order suspending bike, taxi services from June 16

The appeal filed challenging the order issued by the single-judge bench to cancel bike taxis was heard by a two-judge bench of Acting Chief Justice Kameswar Rao and Justice Sreenivas Harish Kumar

Karnataka HC refuses to stay halt on bike taxis; services to stop June 16

The Division bench of the High Court declined to stay its April order halting bike taxi operations, after the government said it had decided not to legalise the service under existing rules

Karnataka HC directs taxi firms to stop bike taxis within six weeks

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed taxi aggregators to stop bike taxi services in the state within six weeks. It stated that bike taxis cannot operate until the state government notifies proper guidelines under the Motor Vehicle Act. The single-judge bench of Justice B M Shyam Prasad directed the state government to ensure that bike taxi operations are halted within the stipulated time. This direction came after ride-hailing apps such as Ola, Uber, and Rapido, which also operate bike taxis, approached the High Court seeking necessary directives for the state government to formulate a policy for running bike taxis. While ordering the bike taxi operators to cease operations by six weeks, the court instructed the state government to formulate guidelines in this regard.

Uber launches women-only bike taxi service 'Moto Women' in Bengaluru

Rolled out first in Bengaluru, Uber has plans to scale it up in other top cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad

DMRC launches bike taxi service from 12 stations via Momentum mobile app

Delhi Metro passengers can now book bike taxi rides through the DMRC Momentum application without juggling between multiple platforms, an official statement said on Monday. The service, which was introduced on Monday, includes two options -- SHERYDS for women, by women, and RYDR, available to all commuters, according to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The facility has been presently made available from 12 metro stations -- Dwarka Sec-21, Dwarka Sec-10, Dwarka Sec-14, Dwarka Mor, Janakpuri West, Uttam Nagar East, Rajouri Garden, Subhash Nagar, Kirti Nagar, Karol Bagh, Millennium City Centre Gurugram and Palam. The service, introduced as a new feature on the existing DMRC Momentum application, is being implemented in partnership with the First And Last Mile Connectivity India Pvt. Ltd., the release said. A total of 50 SHERYDS and 150 RYDR will be operating from these stations in a radius of around three-five kilometres between 8 am and 9 pm, it said. Subsequently, over 100

Ride-hailing service Rapido crosses $1 billion gross merchandise value mark

Rapido, which originally started as a bike-taxi service, has grown to include cabs and auto-rickshaws in its offerings. It has also expanded its footprint to 100 new cities across India

Rapido enters unicorn club with $120 million round led by WestBridge

According to Entrackr's estimates, the company raised the funding at a post-money valuation of Rs 8,517 crore or a little over $1 billion

Rapido offers free rides to voters on May 13 in Hyderabad, 3 other cities

Rapido, India's foremost commute app, on Monday said it pledges to provide free bike taxi, auto and cab rides to voters across Hyderabad and also Karimnagar, Khammam and Warangal on May 13, the polling day. Rapido is joining hands with the office of the Chief Electoral Officer to further encourage people to vote in the biggest festival of democracy. To that end, Rapido organised an event to raise voter awareness at the Lal Bahadur Shastri (LB) Stadium here in which was graced by the presence of Vikas Raj, CEO. On election day, voters can avail free rides on the Rapido app using the code 'VOTENOW' and get a free ride to exercise their democratic right. The initiative aims to facilitate residents' voting rights and ensure a more inclusive electoral process, the release said. This concerted effort aligns with Rapido's nationwide campaign, deploying over 10 lakh captains across more than 100 cities to provide free rides on election day, it further said. Rapido's Co-founder Pavan ...

Confusion around Karnataka govt's withdrawal of e-bike taxi scheme: Rapido

Rapido pointed out that recent order issued by the state government does not mention banning Rapido or any other aggregator operating under the protection of the high court order

K'taka govt bans electric bike taxi services, says 'unsafe for women'

Karnataka Government has banned operation of electric bike taxi services in the state after they were found to be "unsafe for women" and being carried out in violation of Motor Vehicles Act. A government order notified that the 2021 Karnataka Electric Bike Taxi Scheme has now been withdrawn. It has come to our notice that certain private app-based firms are violating the Motor Vehicles Act and its rules and running illegal non-transport two-wheelers as the transport vehicles, it said. It also said there were often clashes between the owners and drivers of auto rickshaws and "maxi cabs" with the bike riders and cases were also registered. The scheme also made it difficult for the transport department to collect taxes. Further, to maintain law and order and keeping in mind the safety of women travelling on two-wheeler bike taxis, the government has cancelled the scheme, the notification stated. President of the Ola Uber Drivers and Owners Association, Tanveer Pasha, welcomed the ..

Bike taxis fall within definition of contract carriage: Road ministry

On the legal status of 'bike taxi', the road transport ministry has clarified that motorcycles fall within the definition of 'contract carriage' as per the Motors Vehicles Act, 1988. A contract carriage, according to the MV Act, is a vehicle carrying passengers for hire under a specific agreement. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), in an advisory to states, said that it has been brought to its notice that certain states/UTs are, while processing applications for grant of permits, taking the view that 'motorcycle' is not eligible to ply under contract carriage or operate as a transport vehicle. "It is clarified that as per section 2(28) of the MV Act, vehicles having less than four wheels fitted with an engine capacity exceeding 25cc are also included within the definition of motor vehicles. Hence, 'motorcycles' shall fall within the ambit of Section 2(7) of the Act," the advisory notification said. The contract carriage agreement involves renting an entire vehicle

Bike taxis get Centre's legal kick-start paving way for new riding option

This move now allows motorcycles to operate legally as contract carriages in India, potentially opening up new transportation options and income opportunities

Bike-taxi service provider Rapido drives cabs into Uber, Ola lane

Bike-taxi service provider launches new segment with subscription model for driver partners

50,000 jobless due to new scheme: Bike taxi drivers write to Delhi LG

Delhi's bike taxi drivers have written to the Lt Governor and the AAP government, saying nearly 50,000 of them have been rendered jobless due to the approval of a scheme that mandates aggregators offering passenger services to switch to electric two-wheelers. The file pertaining to the Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme, 2023 was approved by Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena. The policy is likely to be notified soon. The Apna Bike Taxi Association, in an open letter to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and the Delhi government, said it has appealed to the authorities several times to get its grievances addressed but the pleas have not been heard. "We feel that the government should understand that if someone is riding a petrol motorcycle, how can they suddenly get an electric bike. Neither are there electric bike taxis available in the market nor do we have the money to buy them," the letter read. Last month, more than 1,500 bike taxi drivers had written to

Bike taxi operators fear new Delhi policy will double vehicle cost

Though the main goal of the policy is to curtail air pollution by promoting electric vehicles (EVs), there are some apprehensions