Latest news with #Dhanvi
NDTV
2 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
"Rs 700 For Commute?": Employees Slam Bengaluru Bike Taxi Ban, Express Anger
Days after the Karnataka High Court upheld the state government's ban on bike taxi services, the citizens continue to protest against the decision. The ban officially kicked into effect from June 16, leaving thousands of daily commuters without an affordable alternative to beat the gruesome Bengaluru traffic. On social media, the backlash against the decision is palpable, with users venting their anger while others sharing how they were being forced to cough up money beyond their means. "At Rs 700/day for 2 way commute by Auto, that's almost India's per capita income.. Wasn't the zero commission model supposed to reduce prices? How did we end up with surged prices?" wrote one user. At ₹700/day for 2 way commute by Auto, that's almost India's per capita income.. Wasn't zero commission model supposed to reduce prices? How did we end up with surged prices? @Olacabs @Uber_India @nammayatri @rapidobikeapp @ONDC_Official @peakbengaluru #BikeTaxiBan — K V Krishna (@krishnakv_) June 21, 2025 "Bengaluru traffic worsens after bike taxi ban, auto fares are rising since they don't have a competitor now, charging whatever pops onto their minds," added another. Bengaluru traffic worsens after bike taxi ban , auto fares are rising since they don't have a competitor now, charging whatever pops onto their minds, govt should act by seeing consequences rather than making their voters happy!! #BikeTaxiBan #Bengaluru #rapidoban #Rapido #bike — kaytee (@subtletrooth) June 19, 2025 A third commented: "Not even 8am, and #Bengaluru is choked already. Thanks to the #biketaxi ban, had to take an auto. Give me walkable shortest paths to the bus stops, and bike lanes, please. This is no way to create cities." Not even 8am, and #Bengaluru is choked already. Thanks to the #biketaxi ban, had to take an auto. Give me walkable shortest paths to the bus stops, and bike lanes, please. This is no way to create cities. — Sameer Shisodia (@zenx) June 16, 2025 Also Read | "Woman Is Like A Flower": Iran Supreme Leader's Old Posts Are Viral Cheeky workaround? In the aftermath of the ban, some social media users spotted Rapido replacing the banned 'bike taxi' service with a 'bike parcel' service. By booking themselves as a 'parcel' for intra-city couriers, the commuters could traverse the Bengaluru traffic to reach their destination. "The bike taxi ban starts today in the Product Owner at Rapido Bike app has already bypassed the law... can't book a ride? No worries - just parcel yourself to work... Call it: 'PaaS - Passenger as a Service'," an X user called Dhanvi said, with a screenshot of a 'bike parcel' booking. The bike taxi ban starts today in Karnataka. ⁰But the Product Owner at @rapidobikeapp has already bypassed the law 💀 Can't book a ride? ⁰No worries - just parcel yourself to work 📦🛵 Call it: "PaaS - Passenger as a Service" #Bangalore #BikeTaxiBan #GrowthHack #Rapido … — Dhanvi (@Tummala_Dhanvi) June 16, 2025 Notably, the Karnataka HC division bench in its judgment said it would have considered granting a stay on the order if the state had indicated progress in drafting the rules. However, the government stated that it had taken a policy decision not to frame such regulations, leading the court to deny relief to the aggregators. The bench issued notices to the state government and other respondents, setting the next hearing for June 24.
NDTV
7 days ago
- Automotive
- NDTV
Bengaluru Commuters Ride As 'Parcels' After Bike Taxi Ban
Benglauru: Indian 'jugaad' - a Hindi word that loosely translates as 'unconventional and innovative' - is a wonderful example of creative problem-solving, and don't let anybody ever tell you different. Remember the story of the Mumbai auto driver who earns as much as Rs 8 lakh a month without driving his vehicle? How? Well, think less auto rickshaw and more bag storage area. Now there's a new story, from Bengaluru, where app-based ride aggregator Rapido seems to have cleverly replaced the banned 'bike taxi' service with a 'bike parcel' service, creating a business offering commuters hassled by traffic jams and poor road infrastructure have happily jumped (pun intended) on. How? By booking themselves as a 'parcel' for intra-city couriers driving two-wheelers. The apparent improvisation comes after the Karnataka government acted on a High Court directive to suspend operations of two-wheeler taxi services operated by app-based aggregators like Rapido. The court had ruled these 'bike taxis' to be illegal. READ | Bike Taxis Come To Halt In Karnataka As High Court Ban Kicks In On Friday last, i.e., June 13, a division bench refused pleas from the companies behind the Uber, Ola, and Rapido apps to stay that ban, which is to remain in place till the state government notifies specific rules and guidelines for 'bike taxis' under the Motor Vehicles Act. The court said it might be inclined to grant a stay if progress had been made towards framing those rules, but the state government dashed commuters' hopes by saying it had taken a policy decision to not frame such regulations. The court then set the next hearing for June 24. READ | How Legal Battle Over 'BIke Taxis' Began In Bengaluru In response to all of this, Bengaluru commuters have flooded social media with photographs and pithy comments about traffic in the state capital, a perennial and worsening issue. "The bike taxi ban starts today in the Product Owner at Rapido Bike app has already bypassed the law... can't book a ride? No worries - just parcel yourself to work... Call it: 'PaaS - Passenger as a Service'," an X user called Dhanvi said, with a screenshot of a 'bike parcel' booking. The bike taxi ban starts today in Karnataka. ⁰But the Product Owner at @rapidobikeapp has already bypassed the law 💀 Can't book a ride? ⁰No worries - just parcel yourself to work 📦🛵 Call it: "PaaS - Passenger as a Service" #Bangalore #BikeTaxiBan #GrowthHack #Rapido … — Dhanvi (@Tummala_Dhanvi) June 16, 2025 Another X user, Amutha Bharathi, had the same idea. "Karnataka High Court has Banned Bike Taxis around the state from today... Uber Renamed 'Moto' to 'Moto Courier'... Rapido Renamed 'Bike' to "Bike Parcel' Intelligent move..." Bad bad decision. Permanently gridlocked Bengaluru needs all the available public transport options including bike taxis. Karnataka needs to look at Asia pac countries, not other India states, to make policy decisions. Can't imagine life without ojek in Jakarta. — Aruna Urs (@Arunaurs) June 14, 2025 Many also decried the court and government's move as a "bad decision", highlighting that a "permanently gridlocked Bengaluru needs all available public transport options, including bike taxis..." NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.
