Karnataka High Court Lifts Ban on Bike Taxi Operations

The Karnataka High Court has lifted the ban on bike taxi services imposed by the state government, granting ride-hailing platforms like Rapido, Ola, and Uber the opportunity to seek permission for resuming their operations. A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi, supported appeals made by these ride-hailing companies along with the Bike Taxi Welfare Association.

Challenging the Suspension of Services

The appeals contested a previous ruling from April 2025, which mandated the suspension of bike taxi services in Karnataka until the state established a formal policy. The High Court noted that motorcycles are classified as “transport vehicles” under the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988. It stated that the government is not permitted to deny or withhold permits based on the classification of motorcycles.

Application for Permits

The bench specified that bike taxi operators and individual motorcycle owners can submit applications to transport authorities for the registration of motorcycles as transport vehicles and for obtaining contract carriage permits. While the state government may review these applications and impose certain conditions, it cannot reject permits solely on the basis that the vehicle is a motorcycle.

Protection under the Constitution

The court highlighted that bike taxi services operate across numerous states and that this activity is safeguarded under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution. Additionally, it referenced the Central Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines from 2025, which recognise bike taxi operations provided they have state government approval.

The Karnataka government initially enforced the ban in March 2024. This restriction took effect on June 16 of the previous year, citing concerns over policy gaps, safety, and the lack of an officially approved framework.