The Karnataka High Court has directed bike taxi aggregators, including Ola, Uber, and Rapido, to cease their operations in the state within six weeks. The court emphasized that these services cannot continue unless the state government formulates and notifies appropriate guidelines under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
Justice B M Shyam Prasad, presiding over the case, instructed the state government and its Transport Department to ensure that all bike taxi operations are halted after the six-week period. This ruling came in response to petitions filed by the aggregators seeking the registration of their motorcycles as transport vehicles and the establishment of a legal framework for bike taxi services.
The court clarified that, in the absence of official guidelines, the Transport Department cannot be compelled to register motorcycles as transport vehicles or issue the necessary permits for such services. The six-week timeframe allows the aggregators to make necessary arrangements, after which the state government is mandated to enforce the cessation of all bike taxi operations.
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