Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court Wednesday ordered bike taxi aggregators, including Rapido bike taxis, to cease operations across the state within six weeks.
Justice B Shyam Prasad passed the order while dismissing petitions filed by Ropeen Transportation Services Pvt. Ltd. (Rapido’s parent company) and other taxi aggregators such as Uber and Ola (ANI Technologies).
The petitioners had sought legal recognition for bike taxis and requested the registration of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) two-wheelers as transport vehicles. They also urged the court to direct authorities to implement a regulatory framework for bike taxis.
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Rapido, which has been operating bike taxi services, also sought protection against government interference in its business.
In April 2022, a different bench led by Justice Jyoti Milimani granted interim relief, preventing authorities from taking coercive action against bike taxi aggregators. This allowed services like Rapido to continue operations until now.
Justice Prasad, who first heard the case in 2023, ruled Wednesday that the court cannot compel the state to introduce new regulations or register non-transport vehicles as transport vehicles. Consequently, the court ordered all bike taxi services to shut down within six weeks.
This ruling marks a significant setback for bike taxi operators in Karnataka, who have been facing legal and regulatory challenges over their operations.
A copy of the judgment is awaited.
PNN
