Bengaluru, Sep 25 (NationPress) The Karnataka High Court expressed its dissatisfaction on Thursday concerning the Congress-led government’s procrastination in establishing the bike taxi policy, despite receiving a one-month deadline. The court indicated that it is contemplating the removal of the government’s ban on operations.

The panel, led by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Joshi, requested the prosecution to present their arguments regarding bike taxi operations in the state. They stated that a suitable ruling would be made subsequently. The case has been postponed to October 15.

Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, representing the government, mentioned that the administration has not yet authorized bike taxis to transport passengers. He explained that the policy aims to safeguard gig workers, and currently, bike taxis are solely permitted to deliver goods. Therefore, actions should be taken against aggregators offering passenger services.

He further noted that the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025, is designed to protect the interests of all gig workers, including those engaged with aggregator services like Uber, Ola, Zepto, and others. This legislation also encompasses bike taxi service providers. The Governor approved the law on September 11, which has been formally announced, as per AG Shashi Kiran Shetty.

In reply, the bench pointed out that the discussions were more focused on gig workers rather than bike taxi operators and questioned whether the law sufficiently encompasses the operations of bike taxi drivers.

"The government has failed to develop a policy for bike taxi services even after being granted a one-month timeline. We are inclined to issue a comprehensive stay at this point. No progress has been made, and a policy has only been proposed for gig workers," the bench stated.

Bike taxi operations in the state were halted since June 16 for safety concerns. In response to this action, app-based service providers approached the Karnataka High Court. The High Court subsequently ordered the state government to create a policy framework for bike taxis. In Bengaluru alone, 120,000 bikes are registered for bike taxi services, with over 600,000 passengers statewide relying on bike taxis for their daily travel.

The bench is currently considering appeals from cab aggregators and several individual bike taxi welfare associations, contesting a previous order that suspended bike taxi operations until a policy is established by the state. The court has instructed the government not to take any coercive measures against individual bike taxi drivers.