Uber, Ola bike taxis illegal, will not allow them to operate, says Karnataka govt

Just a day after taxi aggregators Uber and Ola launched their bike taxis in Bengaluru, the Regional Transport Authority has thrown a spanner in their works terming them illegal. Media reports say the authority has not only asked the commuters to not use them but even seized some the vehicles. [caption id=“attachment_2654542” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Image: IBNLive[/caption] According to a report in The Times of India, the Karnataka transport department has said these two companies have not obtained permit or licence to run ride sharing bikes in Bengaluru. It has also cautioned that these vehicles are not entitled for insurance cover and has threatened to take action against both the companies, said the ToI report. Another report in the Deccan Herald, meanwhile, said the transport department officials have started seizing such vehicles from the roads. According to a senior official quoted in the report, the bikes are being run as non-transport vehicles. There are no badges and yellow boards on these bikes which are required for transport vehicles. “We will not allow them to operate,” the official has been quoted as saying in the report. Ola’s pilot ‘Bike Taxis’ service in the city is offering customers ride for as low as Rs 2 per km. The company had incorporated the feature on its application too. The minimum fare is Rs 30 with Rs 2 charged per km and Re 1 per minute of trip time. Uber’s ‘uberMOTO’ was priced at Rs 15 (base price), followed by Rs 3 per km and Rs 1 per min of ride-time charges. “Bike Taxis will help users in Bengaluru get to where they want to be within minutes, especially in traffic-prone areas. We aim to enable safe pillion rides for our users with trained two-wheeler drivers at competitive fares,” Ola Chief Operating Officer Pranay Jivrajka had told PTI. Sources told PTI that some 500 people had signed up on Ola’s platform for the service. Bike taxis as a mode of transport has been gaining prominence. Players like Baxi and N.O.W are already offering their services in the Delhi-NCR region. With inputs from PTI