The Karnataka high court on Friday lifted the ban imposed by it on bike taxi services in Karnataka.
The division bench composed on Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi quashed the single judge order made on April 2025, which imposed the ban. The order was to stop all bike taxi services until the state frames rules for such operations.
The appeal was filed by cab service companies like ANI technologies which owns Ola, Uber, and Rapido.
The court held that motorcycles used for bike taxi services fell under the definition of a transport vehicle under the Motor Vehicles Act 1988. therefore the state government cannot refuse or deny permit such vehicles on the grounds that the motorcycles are not transport vehicles.
It also said that bike taxi operators can file applications to get contract carriage permits to operate motorcycles as bike taxis.
The state also cannot refuse permits merely on the ground that the vehicle is motorcycles, it is whoever is free to examine all relevant aspects to decide whether to accept applications.
After the April order, a six-week deadline was later extended on a request by the affected bike operators who filed appeals. The bike taxi welfare associations and some individual drivers joined in filing appeals.
The court also observed on Friday that the existing framework of regulations requires a reconsideration and amendment to regulate bike taxi services.
