The Karnataka High Court on Friday permitted the operation of bike taxis across the state, delivering a significant relief to ride-hailing aggregators and vehicle owners. A division bench led by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Joshi set aside an April 2025 order of a single bench that had effectively stalled such services.
Allowing appeals filed by aggregators and vehicle owners, the bench directed the state government to consider applications seeking registration of motorcycles as transport vehicles and to grant permits for their operation as contract carriages, in accordance with law.
Court Directs State to Process Permit Applications
In its order, the court made it clear that authorities cannot reject applications solely on the ground that motorcycles are not permitted to operate as transport vehicles or contract carriages. While transport authorities are free to examine all relevant aspects of vehicle registration and permit issuance, such scrutiny must be carried out within the framework of existing law.
The bench also said regional transport authorities may impose conditions deemed necessary while granting permits, as provided under the Motor Vehicles Act. Referring to Section 74(2) of the Act, the court directed that pending applications filed by aggregators be considered and appropriate orders passed. Aggregators were also given the liberty to submit fresh applications, which must be examined in line with the court’s observations.
Earlier Order Cited Safety, Policy Gaps
The appeals were filed by Uber India Systems, ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Roppen Transportation Services Pvt. Ltd., and others, challenging the single bench’s April 2, 2025 ruling. That order had relied on a 2019 expert committee report examining the impact of bike taxis on traffic and road safety.
The single bench had held that, unless the state government notified specific guidelines under Section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act and the rules framed under it, bike taxi services could not be allowed to operate. It had also declined to direct the government to consider applications for aggregator licences in the absence of such guidelines.
The state government, however, maintained that its existing policy on gig workers sufficiently addressed the issue and that there was no need for a separate policy framework specifically for bike taxis. With Friday’s ruling, the high court has effectively reopened the path for regulated bike taxi operations in Karnataka.
