Karnataka High Court Allows Bike Taxi Services Across the State
Court permits registration of bike taxis as transport vehicles, overturning earlier restrictions.
In a significant ruling, the Karnataka High Court on Friday, January 23, allowed bike taxi services to operate across the state, marking an important development in urban transportation.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Joshi passed the order after hearing appeals filed by Uber India Systems Pvt. Ltd., ANI Technologies (Ola), Bike Taxi Owners Welfare Association, and several individual bike taxi operators.
The court directed the state government to consider applications from bike taxi owners seeking registration of their vehicles as transport vehicles. It also instructed the authorities to issue permits allowing them to operate as contract carriage services. However, the bench clarified that the state government would continue to have the authority to impose additional conditions on transport technology aggregators under existing laws.
Earlier, on April 2, 2025, a single-judge bench of the High Court had imposed a ban on bike taxi services operated by platforms such as Rapido, Ola, and Uber. That order had cited a 2019 expert committee report, which raised concerns about traffic management and road safety related to bike taxis.
The single bench had ruled that bike taxi operations could not be permitted until the state government framed clear guidelines and rules under Section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
During the hearings, the state government argued that bike taxis were already covered under the existing policy for gig workers and that there was no need for a separate policy framework.
Welcoming the High Court’s decision, Namma Bike Taxi Association president Mohammed Salim said the ruling was a positive step for both commuters and riders. He said lifting the ban would provide people with more transportation options and expressed gratitude to the court for understanding the difficulties faced by bike taxi operators.
However, Ola Uber Drivers and Owners Association president Tanveer Pasha expressed disappointment over the verdict. He said the decision could negatively impact auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers and urged the government to challenge the order by filing a writ petition. He also announced that a meeting would be held soon to decide the future course of action.
Meanwhile, Uber, in an official statement, welcomed the High Court’s ruling, describing bike taxis as an affordable, fast, and convenient mode of transport in urban areas. The company said the decision would benefit lakhs of drivers who depend on the service for their livelihood and added that it looks forward to working with the state government to meet the growing mobility needs of cities.
