After A Month Of Uncertainty, Are Rapido & Uber Bike Taxis Making A Comeback In Karnataka?

Bengaluru folks were pleasantly surprised to see bike taxi options back on Rapido and Uber, with the apps even accepting bookings again on Thursday. This comes after the much-talked-about bike taxi ban in Karnataka that came into effect on June 16. Here’s all you need to know about this.

Rapido And Uber’s Bike Taxi Services Are Back In Karnataka

Weeks after many Bengaluru residents, especially officegoers, begrudgingly switched to auto rickshaws despite the exorbitantly high prices, it seems like bike taxis might make a comeback in Karnataka! According to Moneycontrol, on August 21, ride-hailing platforms like Rapido and Uber resumed bike taxi services in Bengaluru.

As per the report, both Rapido and Uber have resumed offering bike taxi options and are accepting bookings, while Ola has yet to restart the service. It is worth noting that none of the platforms have officially commented on the resumption, despite the ongoing debate over lifting the ban.

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All You Need To Know About This

Moneycontrol highlighted that the bike taxi services in Bengaluru resumed a day after the Karnataka High Court questioned the state government on why the service couldn’t be regulated instead of being completely prohibited. On August 20, the division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi, hearing appeals filed by Ola, Uber and Rapido, said, “Give it a serious thought, there are lives at stake here. Every trade is permissible unless regulated. This (bike taxi) is not an extra commercium.”

Despite the high court’s comments, the platforms still don’t have the permission to resume bike taxi services in Karnataka, the state’s Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy, pointed out. On July 1, the Centre issued Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025. It permits non-transport (private) motorcycles for passenger rides. However, this is subject to state government approval, something Karnataka is not too keen on.

According to Adi Narayan, president of the Bike Taxi Welfare Association, Karnataka High Court’s stance calls for the “state government to engage constructively and work towards a robust regulatory framework, rather than resorting to an outright ban.”

Also Read: Did You Know Karnataka Will Get Its First Elephant Corridor Policy?

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.

Cover Image Courtesy: Rapido