The transport department has written to app-based ridehailing service Ola to stop its bike taxi services immediately. The company has been running the services in Bengaluru on a pilot basis for a week.
The strongly-worded letter comes days after Ola, TaxiForSure and Uber (OTU) Owners and Drivers Association petitioned the department to take action against the aggregator and another online bike taxi app Rapido. Although Rapido has been operating in Bengaluru for a long time, it did not draw the attention of the authorities due to its low user base.
“We have issued a notice to Ola to immediately stop bike-taxi services from their platform and explain why the services were introduced without bringing it to our notice,” said Narendra Holkar, additional commissioner of transport and secretary of the state transport authority. “I have directed the officials to seize such bike taxis and penalise them.”
Transport commissioner VP Ikkeri said bike-taxi services in Bengaluru were illegal. “We are still working on a policy and have sought the opinion from stakeholders on whether bike-taxi services should be allowed. Since a policy is not yet in place, action will be taken against those who continue to offer bike taxi services,” he told ET.
Ola did not respond to an email seeking its comment.
Although bike taxis are popular since they are cheaper and faster, there is strong resistance from taxi drivers and owners in Bengaluru. “I use bike taxis often. They are cheaper than other mode of transport. Bike taxis can also cover distances quickly,” said Krishna Kumar, a senior accountant and a resident of Indiranagar.
Tanveer Pasha, president of the OTU Owners and Drivers Association, however, urged the government to stop bike-taxi services. “It violates the Motor Vehicle Act as commercial services cannot be provided by vehicles with whiteboard. Also, the biketaxi feature has been introduced without the permission of the transport department,” he said.
Pasha, who took a ride on a bike taxi to understand how it operates, claimed the safety of passengers is a major concern. “The rider was riding using one hand and holding the phone in another to see the navigation map. Among the total accidents in Bengaluru, bikes are involved in the most.”
Those in the know of Ola and Rapido’s operations of bike taxis said the services were introduced only to demonstrate to the government the kind of response they generate from users as well as their positive impact on dealing with unemployment. “We are not making money out of the bike-taxi services. The pilot was launched to understand the demand. We will go to the government with the data,” Ola sources said, not wishing to be identifed.
Bike-taxi services are operational in a few cities in India, including Gurgaon and Jaipur. The transport department had, however, called such services in Bengaluru illegal after Ola and Uber launched them in 2016. Cases were also booked against drivers providing bike taxi services.
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