The Karnataka High Court denied relief to ANI Technologies (OLA) and Uber India, upholding a single judge’s order barring bike taxi aggregators from operating without state-framed rules and guidelines
Published Jun 14, 2025 | 4:45 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 17, 2025 | 1:57 PM
Karnataka’s bike taxi operators ordered off the roads
Synopsis: Bike taxis in Karnataka will halt operations from 15 June, following the High Court’s refusal to grant interim relief to OLA and Uber, who challenged a prior ruling restricting such services. The court upheld that bike taxi aggregators cannot operate without state-framed guidelines under the Motor Vehicles Act. The next hearing is scheduled for 24 June
Bike Taxis as of today, that ran freely across the city, will cease operations from 15 June.
This comes after the Karnataka High Court did not offer relief to the petitioners ANI Technologies which operates OLA and Uber India Systems Private Limited, challenging a single judge order which held that bike taxi aggregators like Rapido, Uber and others cannot operate in the state unless the State government issues relevant guidelines and rules under the Motor Vehicles Act.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice V Kameshwar Rao and Justice Sreenivas Harish Kumar on Friday said, “Issue notice to respondents returnable on 24 June. It is made clear that appeal will be heard on the next date and no adjournments will not be sought.”
The court refused the prayer made by appellants to continue interim relief and direct the respondents not to take any precipitative action till the hearing of the appeals. It said, “If they were framing rules we could have permitted it but they are not.”
“If their stand was that we are taking time to frame rules we will come with the rules, they say as a policy decision we have decided not to frame rules, if first one was possible, we could have said that you are framing rules, the delay is attributable to you and they should not suffer, we could have possibly injuncted them. But not in this scenario where they say we have taken a policy decision not to frame rules.” it said.
Senior Advocate Dhyan Chinnappa argued that single judge recognised that two-wheelers can be used as a transport vehicle. Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty countered this by saying, “No doubt about that but it has to be under a policy.”
It was an interim order passed in 2022, where the court had restrained the respondent authorities from taking any coercive action against the petitioners. The court on 2 April had then dismissed the petitions referring to an expert committee report of 2019, which had considered the impact of bike taxis on traffic and safety. It had also asked the state government in three months to frame the necessary rules and guidelines.
The single judge declared that unless the state government notifies guidelines under Section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act and Rules, the petitioners cannot operate as aggregators offering bike taxi services and the transport department cannot issue directions to register motorcycles as transport vehicles or issue contract carriage permits.
The single judge had given time till 15 June for the taxi aggregators to stop bike taxi services and directed the state to ensure that all bike taxi operations are stopped after this.
Nasscom has stepped in urging Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy for his immediate intervention. In its submission, Nasscom has urged the state government to provide interim relief by extending the 15 June deadline to prevent largescale livelihood disruption, while simultaneously initiating a consultative process to develop a balanced regulatory framework for a long-term solution.
South First spoke to mobility expert Muralidhar Rao who says the government first of all cannot provide good bus services but will also not allow the private sector as well who do a good job. “Bike taxi operators are providing a very essential service,” he said.
He cited an example of his infant grand-son’s and aged mother-in-law’s care-givers who use Rapido bike taxis, since they are cheaper than cab services as well as saves time. On the Karnataka government unwilling to frame rules, Rao says that the problem is with the Karnataka Government and Ramalinga Reddy.
“Can’t he see the people’s plight? They should change the rules; this is exactly what needs to be done. They can’t bother to respond to people’s needs and claim to be people’s representatives,” he added.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
