US EditionKarnataka: High Court Permits Bike Taxis Across State, Allows Government to Impose Conditions
The Karnataka High Court allowed bike taxis to operate under the Motor Vehicles Act with government authority to set licensing conditions for aggregators like Rapido and Ola.
- On January 23, 2026 the Karnataka High Court division bench led by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Joshi permitted bike taxis to operate, directing authorities to register bikes as transport vehicles and grant contract carriage permits.
- On April 2, 2025 a single-judge bench restrained Rapido , Ola and Uber India Systems Private Limited from bike-taxi operations and set a six-week stop deadline pending rules under Section 93, Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
- Invoking the Motor Vehicles Act and constitutional trade rights, they argued the Act permits two-wheelers as contract carriage and the ban violated their Article 19 right to trade.
- The bench set aside the earlier order and specified that the State transport authorities may impose additional conditions under existing Karnataka on-demand rules, while bike-taxi operators can apply for contract carriage permits once two-wheelers are registered.
- Officials cited the 2024 withdrawal of the Karnataka Electric Bike Taxi Scheme, 2021 and argued it reflected political reasons amid driver and autorickshaw confrontations and women commuters' safety concerns.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Karnataka HC lifts ban on bike taxis, overturns single-judge bench order; Ola, Uber welcome move
Bike taxi services in Karnataka are set to restart after the High Court lifted the ban that had stopped operations across the state. The decision was delivered on Friday, bringing relief to ride-hailing companies and riders alike. A division bench led by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi ordered the state government to allow motorcycles to be registered as transport vehicles. The court also directed authorities to issue carriage pe…
Karnataka High Court lifts ban on bike taxis, Uber welcomes decision
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Friday, January 23, lifted the ban on bike taxis, dismissing the earlier order that had stopped the operations of two-wheeler transport. Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said he had not yet received a copy of the order and would comment after reviewing it. However, he said the division bench of the High Court had quashed the single-bench order. “The single-judge bench of the High Court had prohi…
Karnataka HC allows motorcycles to be used as bike taxis, directs state to issue permits
Last year, a single-judge order prohibited the use of bike taxis unless the Karnataka Government notified relevant guidelines under Section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act, and the Rules thereunder.
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DNA IndiaKarnataka: High Court permits bike taxis across state, allows government to impose conditions
The Karnataka High Court has allowed bike taxi services to operate across the state, overturning an earlier ban. Platforms like Rapido, Ola, and Uber can resume services as authorities were directed to register motorcycles as transport vehicles and issue contract carriage permits.
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