Ola resumes bike taxi service in Bengaluru from today; check details here

Ola is resuming its electric bike taxi in Bengaluru from today, September 16. Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO of Ola, announced the restart of the bike taxi service in Bengaluru in a tweet. The app-based cab service provider will be offering rides across Bengaluru city at Rs 25 for 5 km and Rs 50 for 10 km.

Aggarwal also mentioned his plans to expand the service nationwide soon.

Bhavish Aggarwal’s post read, “Restarting Ola Bike in Blr today. This time, all-electric and our own S1 scooters! Rs 25 for 5km, Rs 50 for 10km. Lowest cost, very comfortable and great for the environment! Will scale across India over next few months.”

Ola had first launched its bike taxi service in Bengaluru in 2016, but faced hindrance from the state’s transport department regarding the safety and legality of the two-wheelers and a complete ban was imposed in the state by 2019.

Aggarwal’s announcement comes amid the cab and auto associations in the city urging the Karnataka government to enforce a ban on bike taxis in Bengaluru. They raised their concern regarding the safety issues for women and highlighted that the operation of bike taxis with white number plates is against the law.

Following the recent announcement of a Bengaluru bandh by the Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Association, Karnataka's Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy, declared to address and resolve the concerns raised by auto and taxi drivers in the city.

Since the introduction of the bike taxis, it has been facing major hurdles in many other states as well. Previously in February, the Delhi Transport Department issued a notification banning the bike taxi services provided by operators like Ola, Uber and Rapido. It also said that a fine of Rs 1 Lakh would be imposed on the aggregators who are flouting the norms. Later in June, the Supreme Court put a stay on an order of the Delhi High Court which allowed these bike aggregators to continue their operations.

A similar ban was imposed in Maharashtra, following the Pune Regional Transport Office's refusal to give a licence to Rapido for providing bike taxi services. This order was then challenged at the Bombay High Court, where it was dismissed.