Govt has no authority to ban bike taxis: Uber to Karnataka High Court

Bengaluru: Ride-hailing firm Uber argued in the Karnataka High Court on Friday that officegoers use bike taxis as it facilitates last-mile connectivity.

Senior Advocate Srinivasa Raghavan, appearing for Uber, made this submission before a division bench of acting Chief Justice V Kameshwar Rao and Justice C M Joshi.

The bench adjourned the hearing until next week.

The bench is hearing a batch of appeals challenging a single-bench order that unless the state government notifies relevant guidelines under Section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act and the rules thereunder, bike taxi services cannot operate. It also observed that measures are always open to the government to frame such guidelines.

During the hearing, Uber submitted that last-mile connectivity through bike taxis would help reduce personalised vehicles on roads. If motorcycles can legally operate as taxis, their aggregation should also be permitted, it contended.

The senior advocate argued that the government has no authority to ban bike taxis, either under the Motor Vehicles Act or constitutional provisions. He referred to Section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act regarding aggregator licensing and reiterated that the provision covers two-wheelers as well.

Citing the now scrapped e-bike policy, Raghavan said that it had recognised electric bikes' viability for public transport. He pointed out that the government does not have a policy prohibiting bike taxis. The government's reliance on a committee report to implement the ban does not amount to a formal policy decision, he added.