Bengaluru: Bike taxis have made a comeback in Bengaluru after being off the roads for nearly two months. Ride-hailing platforms Uber and Rapido have resumed
their services this week, giving much-needed relief to commuters and bike owners, as per a report by TOI. On June 16, the services were suspended when the Karnataka government imposed a ban on bike taxi operations. Soon after the order, Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) cracked down on the sector by seizing vehicles and issuing steep penalties. The action forced aggregators to withdraw their fleets from the city. The Karnataka High court was approached by the companies to challenge the restrictions. On Wednesday, a division bench postponed the hearing of their appeals to 22 September. The bench urged the state to reconsider its stance, stressing that the ban affects the livelihood of lakhs of people. Figures suggest that before the suspension, nearly 1.2 lakh private bikes were attached to aggregators in Bengaluru. Across Karnataka, close to six lakh individuals are said to depend on the bike taxi business either for earnings or daily transport. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, however, maintained that the High Court has not granted aggregators official permission to resume. He explained that the judges have instead asked the government to frame a clear policy, while observing that bike taxis are already functioning in many other states. Uber and Rapido have yet to issue any public statement on the resumption of their services.
