The Karnataka High Court has ruled that bike taxi aggregators, including Uber, Rapido, and other similar services, cannot continue their operations within the state until the government establishes appropriate guidelines under the Motor Vehicles Act. The directive mandates the state government to ensure that all bike taxi operations are halted within six weeks.
The order was passed by a single bench led by Justice B M Shyam Prasad, who dismissed a series of petitions filed by Uber India Systems Private Limited, Ani Technologies Private Limited, Ropeen Transportation Services Pvt Ltd, and another party. In his ruling, Justice Prasad emphasized that the state government has been given a period of three months to draft and implement the necessary rules and guidelines for regulating bike taxi services.
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The petitioners initially approached the court in 2022, seeking authorization from the state government for the registration of motorcycles as transport vehicles and for allowing the aggregation of such vehicles for commercial use. During the proceedings, the court had previously issued an interim order preventing authorities from taking any coercive action against the petitioners.
However, while delivering the final judgment, the court referred to an expert committee report from 2019. This report thoroughly examined the impact of bike taxis on road traffic and safety. The findings of this committee played a crucial role in the court's decision to dismiss the petitions. The court's detailed order is expected to be made available soon.
"The expert committee report of 2019 has considered the effect of bike taxis on traffic and safety. Based on this, the court finds it necessary to restrict operations until proper regulations are framed," the court noted in its ruling.
The case, titled ROPEEN TRANSPORTATION SERVICES PVT LTD v. State of Karnataka & Others,
This ruling significantly impacts bike taxi aggregators operating in Karnataka. Until the state government introduces a regulatory framework, services such as Uber and Rapido will not be allowed to function.
With the government being given a three-month timeline to establish new rules, the future of bike taxi services in the state remains uncertain. Stakeholders in the transport sector will now await further legal and policy developments regarding the regulation of bike taxis in Karnataka.
