Karnataka withdraws electric bike taxi services: ‘Illegal and unsafe for women’

livemint.com:

Electric Bike Taxi Scheme, 2021, was withdrawn through a government order on 6 March. A Karnataka government order notified that the 2021 Karnataka Electric Bike Taxi Scheme has now been withdrawn. “It has come to our notice that certain private app-based firms are violating the Motor Vehicles Act and its rules and running illegal non-transport two-wheelers as the transport vehicles," it said.

It also said there were often clashes between the owners and drivers of auto rickshaws and "maxi cabs" with the bike riders and cases were also registered in Karnataka. The scheme also made it difficult for the Karnataka transport department to collect taxes. Further, to maintain law and order and keeping in mind the safety of women travelling on two-wheeler bike taxis, the Karnataka government has cancelled the scheme, the notification stated.

The move comes after the Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Association, which represents several auto rickshaw, cab and bus operators, convened a meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy to explain how e-bike taxis were hurting the livelihood of lakhs of auto drivers. President of the Ola Uber Drivers and Owners Association, Tanveer Pasha, welcomed the decision and said the then BJP government had in 2021 given permission to electric bike taxis in Bengaluru. “In spite of our opposition, the permission was not withdrawn.

We had been agitating against this and even tried to explain to the government about the impact of this permission on auto and taxi drivers' life," he said. Rapido has issued an official statement regarding the withdrawal of electric bike taxi services in Karnataka. “The notification issued by the State Government does not