Bengaluru: In a move that could reshape daily commute, transport minister Ramalinga Reddy has ordered the shutdown of bike taxi operations across the state, following a high court directive.
In a letter to the transport department secretary and the transport and road safety commissioner Friday, Reddy instructed the officials to act swiftly on the court’s recent ruling. The court order, dated April 2, directed the aggregators of bike taxis to cease all operations within six weeks. It also directed the state govt to ensure compliance. “The Karnataka high court has given its order to cease operations. I have instructed the officials to comply with the same,” Reddy said.

With this, the chances of the govt coming up with new rules for bike taxis are remote and major aggregators like Uber, Rapido, and Ola will have time until mid-May to pull their bike taxis off the roads. When asked about the future of bike taxis, the minister pointed to the court order and chose not to comment further.
The ban on bike taxis is likely to benefit autorickshaw and taxi drivers in the city. In the past, they protested against bike taxi operations, calling them illegal, unsafe, and a threat to their revenues.
On the other hand, regular users of bike taxis feel that Bengaluru should have multiple options for commuters. They say banning bike taxis is nothing but denying a convenient and affordable travel option for the general public. Instead, the govt should regulate them, they said.
In 2021, the govt brought out an e-bike taxi scheme with several regulations, but last year, it was withdrawn, citing misuse, safety concerns, and other issues. Stiff opposition from autorickshaw and taxi drivers also played a role in the withdrawal of the notification. It is said the city has 70,000 to 1 lakh bike taxis attached to major aggregators, with a majority of the gig workers being youngsters.
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Students want service to continue
Students who have been relying on bike taxi services in the city fear that banning the travel alternative would go against their interests.
“The bike taxi ban will increase travel costs, disrupt daily commutes, and add financial stress,” said Poojita Katari, a student at Christ University.
Mehul Datta, a student of Ramaiah University, highlighted that transport alternatives such as BMTC buses, while cheaper, are not always viable for his commute due to long wait times and overcrowding during peak hours. “I’ll be inconvenienced by the sudden lack of affordable transport,” he added.
Many students believe that bike taxis help them reach college on time more reliably than other modes of transport. “Public transport won’t get me to my first class on time due to traffic and limited availability,” said Yuktha S, a daily commuter between Chikkalsandra and Koramangala.
“The main problem is that public transport in Bengaluru is not efficient. The nearest bus stop is quite far, and there’s no bus stop near my office. So, I end up walking a lot. Booking a bike taxi is much more convenient than relying on city buses,” said Mark Jordan, a student currently interning at a company.
Others also feel that, considering the city’s traffic density, bike taxis offer a convenient travel option. “Without this convenient option, the long wait for public transport and traffic delays would make commuting much harder,” said Kritika Chettri, a student.
-Prilesha Pisupati
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