Bengaluru: In a major relief for ride-hailing platforms and two-wheeler owners, the Karnataka High Court has lifted the ban imposed by the Siddaramaiah-led government on bike taxi services in the state. The ruling paves the way for the return of bike taxis operated by aggregators such as Ola, Uber, and Rapido.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhū Bakhru and Justice C M Joshi allowed appeals filed by major taxi aggregators, the Bike Taxi Welfare Association, and individual two-wheeler owners. The court directed the Karnataka Transport Department to consider applications seeking registration of two-wheelers as transport vehicles and to permit bike taxis to operate as contract carriages.
The High Court clarified that while granting permission, the state government is free to impose necessary conditions under Section 74(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act to regulate operations and ensure passenger safety.
The Karnataka government had imposed a blanket ban on online bike taxi services in June last year. Though the move was initially upheld by a single bench of the High Court, the Division Bench has now overturned that verdict, effectively revoking the ban and reopening the door for bike taxi services across the state.
