Dept: Crackdown on bike taxis to continue

Transport Commissioner Ramegowda has maintained that bike taxis were illegal and would be seized as per law.

“We seized several vehicles on Friday. On Saturday, we didn’t see many of them. It’s possible the companies have withdrawn the bikes from service till there’s greater clarity,” he said.

“We are waiting for greater clarity on the guidelines for cabs from the State government. There are a few more days to go for the objections period and with the government still preparing the final notification, the companies have already rolled out the bike taxis. What is the hurry? Why are they pushing things so fast?,” asked Ramegowda.

The transport commissioner said there were many risks for bike taxis to operate. What if there is an accident? Who will be responsible for the safety of the passengers and the riders? If they have not registered under the Motor Vehicles Act, how will we hold them responsible for any untoward incident?,” he said.

Also, a bike taxi cannot run on a white board and it needs to have a yellow board. How are they running the vehicles without yellow boards? There also do not have  licence. They probably don’t have a third-party insurance, too, and in case anything happens, who is to be held responsible? These were some of the questions the transport commissioner raised when Deccan Herald asked him what the transport department would do if the bike taxis continued to operate. On the cabs, Ramegowda said they would wait for the government’s response to the objections received from the public and based on that they would frame the final policy.

The private companies have not yet submitted any response to the transport department on the bike taxi issue, while they have responded to the proposed guidelines for cabs. The companies say they will wait for the government to come out with a policy on the aggregation and then act on the matter.