Bengaluru: Bike taxi services in Karnataka came to a halt on Monday after the High Court directed companies like Rapido, Ola, and Uber to suspend operations. Complying with the court’s interim orders, the companies announced they had paused their services and expressed their intention to work with the state government to resume operations soon.
The Karnataka High Court, while issuing the interim order, asked the state government to submit its response on the issue by June 20. The next hearing has been scheduled for June 24. The court observed that since there is no mention of bike taxis under the Motor Vehicles Act, such services must be stopped for now.
The suspension has caused distress among gig workers who depend on these services for their livelihood. Many expressed concern that their income sources have been suddenly cut off. In response, the Namma Bike Taxi Association wrote letters to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, urging them to intervene and help secure justice for workers affected by the ban.
Meanwhile, Uber has rebranded its bike taxi service under the “Moto Courier” category, and Ola has removed the bike taxi option from its app. Although bike taxi operators challenged the single bench’s ruling in the division bench, the latter upheld the suspension, reinforcing the need for regulatory clarity.