- By Radha Basnet
- Fri, 08 Mar 2024 03:50 PM (IST)
- Source:PTI
Electric bike taxi services have been banned by the Karnataka government after they were found to be "unsafe for women" and being carried out in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act. The decision was made in response to massive pressure from the auto and taxi services leading to law and order problems in the state. A government order notified that the 2021 Karnataka Electric Bike Taxi Scheme has now been withdrawn.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.
Additionally, it stated that incidents of violence between owners and drivers of auto rickshaws and "maxi cabs" were frequent, with cases being reported. The scheme also made it difficult for the transport department to collect taxes. The government has terminated the project in order to uphold law and order and consider the safety of women who ride in two-wheeler bike taxis, according to the notifications.
Tanveer Pasha, president of the Ola Uber Drivers and Owners Association, 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 "In spite of our opposition, the permission was not withdrawn.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' lives," he said as quoted by news agency PTI.
BS Yediyurappa, the then chief minister, introduced the 'Karnataka Electric Bike Taxi scheme-2021' in 2021, stating that its objectives are to improve the quality of life and create self-employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in urban mobility. The purpose of the scheme was to reduce the travel time and inconvenience faced by the public, travelling from their homes to bus stands, railway and metro services, especially Bengaluru, the CMO said in a statement.