Following 67 days of suspension, Rapido and Uber resumed their bike taxi operations in Karnataka on Thursday. A Division Bench of Karnataka High Court, consisting of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Joshi, on Wednesday allowed the state government a month’s time to decide on framing a comprehensive bike taxi policy, citing that “lives are at stake in this matter”.
Additionally, the bike taxi operators, who are the petitioners, also sought an interim protection against any coercive action against aggregators until the next date of hearing on September 22.
The Bench had noted that bike taxis are a “legitimate business” and a blanket prohibition was “unconstitutional,” calling the ban “arbitrary, unreasonable, and violative of Articles 14 and 19(1)(g).”
However, the court, without passing any interim orders, had cautioned the state while hearing appeals by the platforms. “In no case, when a decision is being taken, should the state put everything into freeze. The police may continue to take action for other offences, but keep in mind this petition is pending,” the court said.
The Bench did not issue any interim order explicitly allowing such operations to resume.
The companies resumed operations that had been suspended since June 16, following a Single Judge order that prohibited bike taxi services unless the government issued specific rules and guidelines for the operation of two-wheelers as contract carriages under the Motor Vehicles Act.
Rapido has also published its fare chart for bike taxi operations, wherein it is mentioned that commuters will be charged Rs 7.3 for 1 kilometre till 5 km, Rs 9.5/km from 5 km to 10 km, and Rs 11.5/km for a distance exceeding 10 km.
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Rapido, Uber, and Ola had challenged the ban, arguing that it violated constitutional rights.
Meanwhile, Nataraj Sharma, president of the Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Association, dubbed the move as contempt of court. “The aggregators have indulged in contempt of court by resuming bike taxi operations, when the Single Bench order is still binding. The court has only asked the government not to take any precipitous action against aggregators, but has not allowed them to operate bike taxis. Moreover, we as a federation have also impleaded in this case, and the Bench must hear us before passing any orders,” Sharma told The Indian Express.
