Karnataka’s transport minister Ramalinga Reddy has said that the crackdown on those flouting rules and operating with unauthorised licences in the state will continue relentlessly, especially targeting illegal bike taxis that ply alongside taxis and autorickshaws in Bengaluru.
“To date, the transport department has registered cases and impounded 238 vehicles, including electric bike taxis. Our focus is on those driving without legal documentation and registration. This is not targeted at any group, but flouting norms is unacceptable,” said Reddy to News18. “We will continue our crackdown against unauthorised vehicles; nobody is above the law.”
According to a senior official who is part of the special investigation team of the transport department involved in identifying those flouting rules and impounding vehicles, many unauthorised bike taxis have been found operating without proper documents and engaging in commercial activities without licences.
“We were unable to take action before this as the model code of conduct was in place and we had to wait until we could initiate action. They thought they could enjoy a free ride during this time, but we have now swung into action to book those flouting rules,” said the official.
The aggregators under scrutiny have been using the shield of a Karnataka High Court direction from 2022, which ruled that no coercive action can be taken by the state government against aggregator apps such as Uber, Rapido, and Ola. The court stated that app-based transport technology aggregators like Ola, Uber, and Rapido are allowed to levy a 10% additional charge over and above the fares fixed by the state government, and the applicable GST. This was to be the case until the state government fixed a uniform fare according to the law. But that move is yet to take place, say the protesting transport unions.
“Our action has been primarily against the riders and aggregators who were in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act. Those operating without licences and not protected by the High Court order have been booked,” said the transport official.
“There is a High Court decision that says no coercive action can be taken against the operators. It mentions that no bike captain can be harassed or threatened by anyone. If any incident of attack on our bike captains is reported, we will personally file contempt cases against those violating individuals,” said Adi Narayana, president of the Bike Taxi Welfare Association, Karnataka.
The protesting unions said that they have been seeking a ban on bike taxis since March and, although they were assured in writing, it was not enforced.
“After we put pressure, they have now agreed to enforce a uniform fare structure, limit commission charges to no more than 5 per cent for drivers, and streamline the technological hurdles we face for the online permit application process,” said S Nataraj Sharma, president of the Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Association.
In a government order issued in March, Karnataka banned electric bike taxi services from operating in the state. This was done considering that bike taxis were found to be “unsafe for women”. In an earlier order issued in March 2021, the transport department had already withdrawn the e-bike taxi scheme. The government said that it was brought to its notice that certain private app-based firms were violating the Motor Vehicles Act and illegally running two-wheelers as transport vehicles, so the ban was put in place. This also came in the background of the Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Associations, a body representing auto, cab, and bus operators, approaching chief minister Siddaramaiah and transport minister Ramalinga Reddy to curb the bike taxis, which were affecting their livelihood.
A series of protests were held by the auto and taxi drivers’ associations in Bengaluru recently to protest against the government’s “failure” to address their demands, which they say have remained unfulfilled since last year. They stormed the transport department seeking immediate action. The protests, organised by the Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Associations, saw cab and taxi driver unions, claiming that cab aggregators like Uber, Ola, and Rapido were taking a large chunk of their daily earnings as commissions, leaving them to fend for themselves with little savings. Joining this protest, the auto unions also placed their demands, seeking a ban on illegal bike taxis operating across the city, which they claim are plying without licences or proper documentation. Their demand has been that the aggregators should have a cap on the commission they charge, which should not exceed five per cent.
“Many of them have no registration certificates. Some of them use their relatives’ bikes, which are whiteboard vehicles, as bike taxis; others don’t have proper documents. We get caught for the smallest of errors, but these bike taxis are getting a free ride? Isn’t it unfair to us? We too have families and mouths to feed,” said Mani Shankar, an auto driver from Horamavu in north Bengaluru.
“Many of them don’t even wear helmets or carry proper helmets for the pillion rider. They ride rashly, and both the rider and passenger are unsafe. That’s one thing. The second thing is they are plying without permission. We have all the documents, and we are the ones facing the music,” added his friend Ashraf Basha, who parks his vehicle at the auto stand near the Ramamurthy Nagar signal.
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