“They took away my only source of livelihood” — As police impound bike taxis in Bengaluru, captains cry in despair

Earlier this month, hundreds of Bengaluru auto-rickshaw drivers gathered outside the Transport Department’s head office in Shantinagar. The protestors — composed of 32 mobility-related organisations led by a private union group — had many demands, but the major one was clear: ban two-wheeler “bike taxis” in Silicon City.

Cab-aggregating firm Rapido popularised bike taxis in Bengaluru after their introduction around 2016. With fares about half of that of a standard cab, and quite a bit lower than that of auto rates, the mode quickly became popular among the masses who did not mind the temporary discomfort of a pillion ride to their destination. Now, all popular cab-for-hire apps offer bike taxi services in Bengaluru, including Uber and Ola.

However, the mode’s rising popularity has also diverted potential customers and businesses away from auto-rickshaws, which irked the group. The past year has seen many instances of $4 on bike taxi captains by auto drivers. While these cases are regularly brought to the notice of the police, little action is taken to de-escalate the growing contempt among the groups.

A complicated legal situation

Further, the law remains too muddy to place blame and offer any resolution. Despite pleas by the Bike Taxi Association for legalisation and recognition of bike taxi services in the state, no resolute legal action has been taken on the matter.
A majority of two-wheeler cabs comprise private vehicles in Bengaluru, meaning they are fitted with white registration plates and cannot be used as commercial vehicles. Furthermore, the addition of a platoon of electric vehicles with green plates (with yellow font for commercial use) adds to the confusion.

In August 2021, the court had advised no “coercive action” against bike taxis after a petition by Rapido. Further, in April, sources reported that the Karnataka High Court had directed the state government to protect bike taxi operators by taking strict action against individuals or entities that “unlawfully obstructed” their services.

Naturally, there is a lot of grey area and unclarity as to the legal status of bike taxis, and the burden of this has fallen upon the bike taxi service providers, lakhs of whom have become dependent on the service for their daily livelihood. And as the recent protests led to strict crackdowns on hundreds of “illegal” bike taxis, the step has led to devastating consequences for many confused captains.

Daily livelihood seized

60-year-old bike taxi captain Tarun [name changed for anonymity] recently received an Uber booking near the Regional Transport Office, Kasturinagar. After reaching the location specified on the app, he was met with a traffic police officer in civilian uniform, who reportedly impounded the bike immediately.

As per Tarun, the police explained that his bike, although it had the necessary documentation (such as registration and insurance), was illegal for use as a bike taxi service. Tarun had to visit the RTO multiple times over the course of the next several days, after which he had to pay an arbitrary ‘fine’ of Rs 6,500 to release the bike. The police reportedly declined to give a break-up of the fine.

“They took away my only source of livelihood, so I had no option but to oblige so that I do not lose the vehicle altogether,” lamented Tarun. “Like me, there are many people whose families run on this income.”
A similar situation transpired for other captains for other cab-aggregating companies after the recent crackdown, who incurred varying unspecified penalties for “unauthorised” rendering of bike taxi services. One source noted that the RTO demanded that the challan be paid with cash rather than an online transaction.

Unaffordable penalty and no communication

Officials have noted that there are provisions to impose a penalty of Rs 5,000 if vehicle owners are found using a private vehicle for commercial purposes. However, this has proven a heavy blow for captains such as Tarun, who have become reliant on his bike for a daily wage.

After accounting for petrol and maintenance charges, Tarun explained that he earns approximately Rs 300 per day. Not only did he lose out on precious days of wages after his bike was confiscated, but the penalty incurred would take over half a month of work to pay off, he explained.
Tarun and other captains noted that there was no communication from Uber or Rapido to discontinue their bike taxi services. Until more clarity is obtained, they are apprehensive of continuing services, leaving them with no viable source of income.

Captains expressed discontent that action was being taken against the ground-level workers instead of the cab-aggregating companies themselves, such as Uber and Rapido. “If they really want to stop this [bike taxi services], then why don’t they stop it from the app?,” Tarun remarked. “If they say that we are illegal, then Uber and Rapido are also illegal.”

Until a method to legalise bike taxis is provided, bike taxi providers — who often turn to the service as a last resort amid the unavailability of quality jobs — will continue to live in financial uncertainty.