Bike taxis will not run in this state! Rapido has stopped operations
The ban on bike taxis in Karnataka has come into effect from June 16. Here the High Court refused to stay the petition challenging the government order. In fact, the Karnataka government in its order had asked the aggregator companies to stop the bike taxi service. Bike taxi service providers had approached the High Court against the government’s order and pleaded that the government order be stayed till the government makes new rules in this regard. With the dismissal of this petition, the ban on bike taxis has come into effect in Karnataka.
Rapido has stopped operations
According to Moneycontrol, Rapido has removed the bike taxi option from its app in Karnataka and has started the “Bike Parcel” service in its place. There is also a message for users on the app. It states that the company has stopped its bike service in Karnataka from June 16, 2025 after the High Court order. Rapido said that bike taxis provide a lot of benefits to daily commuters, but the company respects the law so it will follow the instructions.
The company further said that we are committed to the communities we serve and look forward to a future where convenient and affordable service is available to everyone. We are working closely with the government to get your favorite bike taxis back on the road soon.
However, bike-taxi options are still available on Ola and Uber apps. But the waiting is very long. According to Moneycontrol, transport department officials said that action will be taken against violators. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that we have made our stand clear in the High Court. We will follow the court order and implement the ban.
Gig workers will be affected
Meanwhile, the Namma Bike Taxi Association has written a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urging them to intervene and stop this move. The association said that this will have a bad impact on thousands of gig workers across the state. However, Labor Minister Santosh Lad said that we have not received any letter from the bike taxi association yet. Most gig workers are involved in delivery. The decision to ban taxis has been taken by the Transport Department. The Labor Department is not involved in this.
Hearing on the case continues
A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice V Kameswara Rao on June 13 issued notice to the state and others and sought a reply by June 20 on the petition against the ban. The matter will be heard on June 24. Ola and Uber have challenged the order of a single judge bench on April 2, which banned bike taxis in the state due to lack of rules to regulate the service under the Motor Vehicles Act. The time limit for the ban was initially 6 weeks, but it was later extended to June 15.
