Left jobless, Karnataka bike-taxi captains urge govt to allow operations
Bengaluru: Rendered jobless and pushed to the brink, hundreds of bike-taxi captains took to the streets across the state Saturday, protesting the govt's continued indecision on legalising their operations.
They demanded that the govt come up with a policy framework that would legalise bike taxis in the state.
Not just have our livelihoods being snatched away because of the bike-taxi ban but also commuters, who are dependent on cheaper and faster travel options, have been put to hardship, they said while stating that they have no option but to stage protests against the govt, especially the transport dept which has cracked down on them.
The affected captains include professionals who saw bike taxis as a means of livelihood and students who were earning pocket money by dropping off people.
The captains took out protest rallies in Bengaluru, Kanakapura, Ramanagara, Mandya, Hassan, Tumakuru and Shivamogga. They urged the govt to allow them to operate on the lines of autorickshaw drivers instead of buckling under pressure from the latter, who were wooed by Congress before coming to power.
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In Bengaluru, the captains were met with detention. Police foiled a planned gathering in front of Vidhana Soudha by dispersing them and detaining several protesters as a preventive measure. Deputy commissioner of police (Central) Akshay M Hakay said police had to act as it amounted to unlawful assembly.
A bike-taxi captain from Tumakuru said, "We wanted to gather at Vidhana Soudha and appeal to the govt to frame a policy legalising bike taxis.
But police didn't even allow us... We were in hundreds when we left Tumakuru, but most were stopped near the toll gate before entering Bengaluru. Very few managed to reach the city."
Explaining the ordeals faced by them after the ban on bike taxis, a captain who identified himself as Rajkumar said: "For two years, I earned Rs 1,000-1,500 per day by riding my bike as a taxi in the traffic-choked city. It paid my rent, my child's school fees, and groceries.
Today, I have nothing. We are not criminals. We're just asking for the right to work."
The captains argue that the crackdown, triggered by the transport department's ban on bike taxis through aggregators like Rapido, Uber, and Ola from June 16 by citing court orders, was unjust, especially when no viable alternatives have been provided. Over 100 bikes have already been seized by the department in the ongoing crackdown.
The bike-taxi captains said they're willing to play by the rules — using yellow-board bikes, wearing uniforms, and collecting govt-fixed fares. But in return, they want a legal pathway to operate.
"We're ready to follow all regulations. Just let us work," said Manu, another captain from Ramanagara.
"After the ban, they shifted us to parcel deliveries. We earn Rs 30 per parcel. That's not a livelihood, that's humiliation," he added.
What angers the captains the most is the silence of the govt, especially the transport department. They alleged that the crackdown is being carried out under pressure from autorickshaw and cab driver unions.
A captain added: "We've sent many appeals to elected leaders including transport minister Ramalinga Reddy, but there's been no positive response."
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