Karnataka Flags Safety, Insurance Concerns Over Bike Taxis In SC

The Karnataka government has raised safety, insurance and women's concerns over using motorcycles as taxis, arguing against a January 23 High Court order that allowed bike taxi operations to resume. This comes after the state challenged the HC's decision in April, citing issues with the motorcycles' passenger safety features and lack of comprehensive safety standards.

The petition argues that motorcycles lack essential safety features present in autos and cabs, raising concerns about accident vulnerability, insurance coverage, and women's safety. It contends that motorcycle taxis do not fall within the definitions of "motor cab" or "contract carriage" under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The state also pointed out that the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregator Rules, 2016 do not cover motorcycles.

Karnataka highlighted that restricting motorcycles from operating as passenger taxis does not amount to a blanket prohibition on their commercial use, as riders can still earn through delivery and logistics services. The government also raised concerns over the implementation of the HC order, stating that converting privately registered white-board motorcycles into yellow-board transport vehicles is not feasible.

The petition estimated that restricting bike taxi operations could prevent around 1.39 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually and help reduce traffic congestion.