Introduction
The Bike- Taxi service in Karnataka became the centre point of the discussion after the Rapido and Uber resumed their service after the ban that made confusion between the people and the industry watchers about the service resumed but the Karnataka High Court clarifies that there is “No Orders to Resume Services”.
Background
The High Court of Karnataka has passed the interim order to temporarily stop the Bike-Taxi service in Karnataka in April,2025. The court stated the reason behind this step as the private two wheelers can’t be used as the commercial vehicles as there is no such mention of it in the Motor Vehicles Act, and no other legal framework also mentioned about the same and the State Government was directed to make a clear policy to get the solution the issue of Bike- Taxi service as there are many gig- workers those are facing unemployment after the ban.
After more than 2 months of the ban the Bike-Taxi service companies like Rapido, Uber bike-taxi’s reappeared in the city after that people assumed that the High Court removed the ban of bike-taxi. The users appreciated citing the affordability and convenience, therefore the Karnataka Transport Minister released the statement that there are “No Orders to Resume Services”.
High Court’s Take on it
The High Court of Karnataka issued the clarification statement on 22 August 2025. The court stated in the clarification that there are “No Orders to Resume Services” of Bike-Taxi operations. The court added that the step taken earlier is to protect the individual riders right and no individual rider should not be penalized until a final decision is made and this doesn’t go with the large aggregators. The High Court of Karnataka gave orders to the state government to find the possibility of framing particularly bike- taxi policy and the case will remain under judicial consideration, the next date of hearing is on 22 September,2025
Affect on Gig Workers
The High Court of Karnataka highlighted that the modern technological era and the slower adaptation of the policy also added that the bike-taxi model helps many to get the livelihood and help people to save their time in the Traffic congestion, help to connect to the last-mile. The order raises the larger economic question about the gig workers economy. The livelihood of many riders is at stake but at the same time any work done without regulation and other important applicability has remained illegal and there is no such law about the use of 2-wheelers as the commercial vehicles in The Motor Vehicles Act. If the Karnataka government made the rule particularly for the bike- taxi service, it can be a good example for the other state, and this will help other states to resolve the same issue.
Conclusion
The High Court of Karnataka has made it clear via the clarification that there is “No Orders to Resume Services” in the state as of now and ordered the state government to make the policy for the bike-taxi’s as there are many gig-workers employment on the corner of the hill. There is a high demand of the service in the state, and this needs legal clarity to resume the service of the bike-taxi.
About the Author
Tushar Kumar is a final-year BBA-LLB student at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. With a strong interest in Intellectual Property Rights, he enjoys exploring how law interacts with innovation and creativity. He’s equally passionate about legal writing, Research and believes in making complex legal ideas easier to understand through clear articles. Tushar continues to deepen his understanding of the law while contributing thoughtful pieces on contemporary legal issues.