Bike taxi association seeks halt to crackdown, urges clear policy framework
The Namma Bike Taxi Association has urged the Karnataka government to immediately halt enforcement action against bike taxi riders, alleging that transport authorities have failed
The Namma Bike Taxi Association has urged the Karnataka government to immediately halt enforcement action against bike taxi riders, alleging that transport authorities have failed to provide any mechanism or guidelines for legal compliance despite repeated representations following a recent Karnataka High Court order. In a letter addressed to the State government, the association, which says it represents over one lakh bike taxi drivers and gig workers across Karnataka, said that Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) and the Transport Department have remained silent on requests seeking clarity on registration procedures, commercial permits and safety norms required to operate bike taxis legally.
The letter further claimed that union representatives were recently informed that transport authorities intended to intensify enforcement drives, impose heavy penalties and seize vehicles operating as bike taxis. The association argued that penalising drivers without first establishing a legal compliance framework was unjust and threatened the livelihoods of thousands of gig workers. “We strongly condemn the continued crackdown on bike taxi riders across Karnataka. After the High Court's judgment, we did exactly what responsible gig workers should do; we repeatedly approached the Transport Department and RTOs asking how to comply with the law and convert our vehicles. We received no guidance, no process and no response.
Today, the same workers are being penalised for not complying with a system that doesn't exist,” Mohammed Salim, president of the Namma Bike Taxi Association told The Hindu. The association has sought three immediate measures from the government: suspension of enforcement action until an official conversion mechanism is notified, issuance of clear guidelines for converting white-board motorcycles into commercial yellow-board vehicles, and inclusion of bike taxi unions in stakeholder consultations while framing the policy. It said it was not seeking exemption from regulations but a transparent framework that would allow bike taxis to operate legally alongside other modes of public transport.
Meanwhile, according to data from the Joint Commissioner of Transport (Bengaluru Urban Division), transport officials checked 54 suspected bike taxis across Bengaluru on Friday. Of these, 18 vehicles were booked and seized during enforcement drives. The highest number of inspections was reported in Bengaluru East RTO, where 27 vehicles were checked and nine were booked and seized, followed by Electronic City RTO with 18 inspections and six seizures. Bengaluru West RTO checked six vehicles, of which two were booked and seized, while Janabharathi RTO inspected three vehicles and seized one.
The BriefWire