The Karnataka High Court has ordered the suspension of bike taxi services in the state within six weeks, ruling that such services cannot operate unless the government issues necessary guidelines under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
Justice BM Shyam Prasad, while disposing of petitions on Wednesday, April 2, filed by bike taxi aggregators like Rapido, Ola, and Uber, stated that they could not function as aggregators unless the state government notifies relevant regulations. The court has given the Karnataka government three months to frame the necessary rules for bike taxi operations.
The petitioners had approached the court seeking directives for the Transport Department to register two-wheelers as transport vehicles and issue permits under the Motor Vehicles Act. However, the state government opposed the plea, arguing that bike taxis were illegal, as motorcycles with white number plates could not be used for commercial purposes.
Reading out the order, Justice Shyam Prasad said that the Transport Department cannot be compelled to register motorcycles as transport vehicles or issue contract carriage permits unless proper regulations are in place. The court also referred to a 2019 expert committee report that assessed the impact of bike taxis on traffic and safety, underscoring the need for regulatory clarity before allowing these services to operate.
Senior advocate Arun Kumar, representing one of the petitioners, pointed out that Ola had only recently launched bike taxi services in April 2024. However, the court maintained that all petitioners must comply with its directive and cease bike taxi operations until the state government formulates guidelines.
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