Bike Taxi Ban: After the order of the Karnataka High Court, a ban on bike taxi services has come into effect in the state from June 16, 2025. The court made it clear that unless the state government makes clear rules to regulate bike taxi services under the Motor Vehicles Act, these services cannot be operated.
Rapido removed ‘bike taxi’ option, now started ‘parcel service’
Moneycontrol’s spot check revealed that Rapido has removed the “Bike Taxi” option from its app and added a “Bike Parcel” service in its place. A message is also visible on the app. “From June 16, 2025, our bike taxi service has been temporarily stopped in compliance with the orders of the High Court in Karnataka.” Rapido said in a statement, “We are proud of the bike taxi facility, but we respect the court and will fully comply with its orders. We hope that this service can be started again in the future.”
The option is still visible on Ola and Uber
Although Rapido has stopped the service, the option of bike taxi is still available on apps like Ola and Uber, although the waiting time seems to be high. Both the companies have not given any reaction on this. Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “We have clearly stated our stand in the court and we will follow the order and take strict action on it.” The Transport Department has said that necessary legal action will be taken against the companies that violate this ban.
Namma Bike Taxi Association expressed concern
In protest against this decision, Namma Bike Taxi Association has written a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and demanded withdrawal of this decision. The organization has warned that this ban will put the livelihood of thousands of gig workers across the state at risk. State Labor Minister Santosh Lad told Moneycontrol, “We have not yet received any official letter from the Bike Taxi Association. Anyway, the decision in this matter is taken by the Transport Department, the Labor Department has no role in it.”
The next hearing of the case is on June 24
Bike taxi companies Ola and Uber have filed a petition in the High Court against this ban. The order of a single judge on April 2 has been challenged in which the service was banned on the basis of absence of rules. The next hearing of this case will be on June 24.
