Karnataka Bike Taxi Ban: Impacted Drivers On Hunger Protest

Upping the ante against the Karnataka government, members of the Bike Taxi Welfare Association (BTWA) reportedly staged a hunger protest across several cities in the state on Sunday (June 29) against the ban on bike taxis. 

As per Moneycontrol, the protesting drivers urged the authorities to lift the ban on bike taxis in the state and implement an inclusive policy framework. Besides Bengaluru, the protests were also organised in Mysuru, Mandya, Davangere, and Ramanagara.

The BTWA also submitted an open letter to Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, underscoring the swathes of drivers left jobless due to the ban. 

“Sir, we, who ride through rain and sun to serve Karnataka, are writing this not out of anger but desperation. For many of us, this work stands between dignity and destitution,” read the letter addressed to the CM. 

As per the report, the letter underscored the hardships faced by riders due to the ban, including some “resorting to begging to feed their families”. The association also said that bike taxis offer flexible work opportunities to local Kannadigas, including students, single mothers, homemakers, as well as migrant workers. 

Lashing out at the state government, the bike taxi members also asked why two-wheelers are allowed for parcel delivery but penalised for passenger transport, despite both falling under the gig economy and Motor Vehicles Act.

Noting that bike taxis have become an essential part of Karnataka’s transport network by providing reliable last-mile connectivity to millions, the letter reportedly warned the government of an indefinite hunger strike if the demands are not met. 

This comes barely a week after a group of bike taxi drivers were arrested by the Bengaluru Police for protesting outside the Vidhana Soudha. A case was also registered against them for violating certain rules and attempting to protest in front of the legislative assembly without prior permission.

Karnataka’s Bike Taxi Ban

The escalation comes two months after a single-judge bench of the Karnataka HC, in April, banned bike taxis in the state. At the time, the HC observed that these services could not be operationalised unless the state government notified specific rules and guidelines under the Motor Vehicles Act.

Subsequently, ride-hailing platforms Uber, Ola and Rapido filed an appeal before a division bench of the HC. The bench also refused to stay the earlier single-judge order that suspended bike taxi services in the state and directed mobility platforms to halt their operations by June 15. 

Bike taxi services came to a screeching halt in the state on June 16 as aggregators complied with the directions. 

Following this, many bike taxi drivers took to streets against the ban. As per Namma Bike Taxi Association, the move to ban the services has impacted 1.5 Lakh drivers in the state. The aftermath saw skirmishes between the drivers and local authorities and auto unions. 

Recently, a state bike taxi union alleged that its members were harassed by auto unions and barred from protesting at Freedom Park in Bengaluru. The protesters also met Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Dasarahalli MLA S Muniraju to seek their intervention in resuming bike taxis in the state. 

The drivers also wrote open letters to CM Siddaramaiah, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi. 

Notably, the state government had envisaged an electric bike taxi scheme to improve first and last-mile connectivity and creating employment opportunities. It withdrew the policy last year amid opposition from local auto unions. At the time, officials cited confrontations between auto and bike taxi drivers and issues related to women safety for shelving the new policy.