Karnataka transport bodies demand crackdown on bike taxis, give government 15-day deadline

Private transport federation seeks removal of bike-taxi apps, action against operators and financial audits The Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Associations has stepped up its opposition to bike-taxi services in the state, asking the government to take action against aggregators that it alleges are operating without the required regulatory framework and permits. The federation submitted a representation on Friday to the Commissioner of Transport and Road Safety and the Bengaluru Commissioner of Police. Among its key demands was the removal of bike-taxi applications from the Google Play Store and other digital marketplaces. As part of the protest, federation members gathered outside the Transport Commissioner’s office carrying black flags before submitting their complaint to the authorities. The federation said it would continue its peaceful protest by displaying black flags on its vehicles until action is taken. Also Read: Bengaluru Traffic Police book 40 water tanker drivers for drunken driving Federation president S Nataraja Sharma argued that the existing regulatory framework does not cover bike-taxi aggregation. He pointed to the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016, saying the rules excluded two-wheelers and therefore did not establish statutory provisions for aggregating bike taxis. The federation has also cited a Karnataka High Court order concerning the registration of two-wheelers as contract carriages. According to the federation, the court had permitted such registration subject to the framing of appropriate rules. The state government has challenged that order before the Supreme Court through a Special Leave Petition. Passenger safety is another major concern raised by the transport body. Sharma said standard private motorcycle insurance policies generally exclude commercial passenger transportation. According to him, this could mean passengers may not have insurance protection if they are involved in an accident while travelling on a bike taxi. The federation claimed that similar insurance-related concerns had surfaced during bike-taxi accidents reported in Bengaluru in the past. The group has also asked authorities to preserve digital records connected to bike-taxi operations. This includes trip information and payment logs, with the federation referring to Section 67C of the Information Technology Act, 2000, in its demand for preservation of electronic evidence. It has further sought investigations into what it describes as possible misrepresentation and cheating, along with alleged violations under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Also Read: 1.8-km white-topping road from Navarang Circle to Rajajinagar entry gate opened to public The federation has also called for financial audits of the operators. The proposed audits, it said, should establish whether any statutory taxes, licence fees or other mandatory payments remain unpaid. It has specifically referred to the 2 per cent levy payable to the state exchequer under the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2020. The transport body has demanded that operators allegedly running illegal bike-taxi services be blacklisted and face penal action. Sharma warned that responsibility should also be fixed on officials if the authorities fail to act against what the federation considers illegal operations. “Those who are carrying out illegal bike taxi services need to be blacklisted, and penal action needs to be taken against them,” Sharma said, adding that the federation would consider action against department officials for alleged dereliction of duty and abuse of power if they continue supporting what it calls illegal apps. The federation has given the government 15 days to take action on its demands. Until the deadline, the group said it would continue its protest peacefully, with members planning to display black flags on their vehicles as a sign of opposition to the continued operation of the bike-taxi services. The representation has therefore placed several issues before the transport and police authorities, ranging from the legality and regulatory status of bike-taxi aggregation to passenger insurance, digital evidence, taxation and alleged financial and legal violations.