Rides paused, rules twisted: RTOs in Bengaluru go undercover as ‘bike parcel’ becomes cover for banned taxi services; crackdown begins

BENGALURU: Over 100 bike taxis were seized across Bengaluru on Monday as enforcement agencies cracked down on aggregators flouting a recent Karnataka HC directive halting such operations.The ban came into force Monday following the HC declining to stay an earlier govt order prohibiting bike taxi services. While companies, including Rapido and Uber, claimed compliance, officials reported that several platforms continued to operate, prompting action by the transport offices.Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy said some aggregators were circumventing the court order by using parcel delivery services as a cover.

"There are instances of aggregators replacing bike taxi services with parcel and courier options and using them as a proxy to ferry passengers. Officials booked cases after identifying such violations. This drive will continue," he said. On Monday morning, Rapido rebranded its bike-taxi feature as 'Bike Parcel'. Uber and Ola continued offering the bike-taxi option on their apps until midday before removing it.

All three platforms offer parcel delivery services.A total of 103 bike owners were booked and their vehicles seized across 11 RTO jurisdictions. Rajajinagar RTO recorded the highest number of seizures (16), followed by Electronics City (15) and KR Pura (13). An RTO official said inspectors used field surveillance and decoy operations to identify violators. "Field inspectors booked cases after confirming that taxi aggregators were providing bike taxi services in violation of HC orders.

In some cases, officials posed as passengers to collect evidence," the official said.Officials noted a number of students were working as bike-taxi riders through ride-hailing apps without parental knowledge.Rapido, in an in-app message, stated: "Starting June 16, 2025, our bike-taxi services in Karnataka will be paused in compliance with recent HC orders... We're navigating the way forward with the govt to bring your favourite bike taxis back on the road soon."Uber announced suspension of services, saying it would "negatively impact thousands of riders and drivers." But it added it would "continue engaging with the govt to help shape a progressive policy framework". Ola hasn't issued a statement.