Stranded by bike taxi ban in Bengaluru: A first-person account

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Until last month, my 16-kilometre commute from Koramangala to Whitefield used to take about 35–40 minutes and cost less than Rs 150 - far cheaper than autos in peak Bengaluru traffic.

For someone like me, a reporter constantly on the move for work, bike taxis were a lifesaver. They helped me get to events on time without the anxiety of surging cab fares or endless arguments with auto drivers who either refused rides or demanded absurdly high fares instead of using the meter.

Then came the Karnataka High Court’s order banning bike taxis from June 16.

In one stroke, thousands of us were stranded. Not in the literal sense, but in the deeper, more frustrating way, watching a city’s already crumbling mobility system lose one of its most efficient fixes.

Overnight, a service that was affordable, quick, and accessible became illegal.

Cities like Mumbai, where a similar ban was enforced back in 2022, still managed to function because public transport works better there. Auto and cab drivers mostly go by the meter and rarely refuse rides. That’s not the Bengaluru I know.

Here, even though platforms like Rapido and Uber have technically complied with the ban, offering only 'bike parcel' services now, many riders admitted to me that they still ferry passengers, just off the books.

One Rapido driver put it simply: “It’s not like I’m doing something evil. I’m just helping someone get from point A to point B. And this is how I survive.”

Also read: Karnataka bike taxi ban: Users ride as ‘parcels’, drivers switch to deliveries, last-mile fares spike on day one

The Karnataka government has made its position clear-it is in no hurry to frame bike taxi rules.

But change could be coming.

On July 1, the Union government released the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2025, formally allowing states to permit non-transport (private) two-wheelers for ride-sharing. The guidelines make a strong case: shared mobility can reduce congestion, cut emissions, and create livelihood opportunities.

They also empower states to authorise and regulate such services, even allowing them to charge fees. For both commuters and drivers, this brings a sliver of hope.

But it remains to be seen whether states like Karnataka will frame rules or allow bike taxis.

Still, even if the state lifts the ban, there’s a lingering fear: the backlash from autorickshaw drivers. We’ve seen it before, when bike taxis started gaining popularity in Bengaluru, some auto drivers turned openly hostile.

Here in Karnataka, many believe the ban was a concession to powerful auto and taxi unions. That’s why skepticism runs deep.

“I welcome the Centre’s move, but will the state government actually act on it? That’s the real question,” a Rapido driver told me, as he braved the risk of picking up a passenger.

To make matters worse, last week, ride-hailing platforms like Ola, Uber, and even Namma Yatri began quietly adding extra charges to fares in Bengaluru.

Also read: Driver fee, pickup fee, congestion fee: Bengaluru ride-hailing users hit hard by add-on charges

I’ve seen auto fares on apps nearly double, especially outside Metro stations, where dozens of autorickshaw drivers gather but refuse to accept rides through the app. Instead, they approach passengers directly, quoting steep fares, often nearly triple the government-fixed rates. In some cases, I even saw passengers pooling together to split the cost. Unlike other cities, Bengaluru doesn’t have shared autos either.

The state has since directed them to stop this practice, but enforcement has been limited to a few hundred autorickshaws in a city with nearly 3 lakh autos, and no action has been taken against the aggregators who set these prices.

In a city that prides itself on being the tech and startup capital of India, this ban feels regressive. It’s a stark example of how innovation can be stifled by policy indecision. Bengaluru, with over 1 crore vehicles and average speeds of less than 10 kmph during peak hours, urgently needs more mobility options to encourage people to embrace public transport.

Also read: A week after bike taxi ban, Bengaluru sees spike in traffic jams, costlier auto rides & angry gig workers

The Centre may have offered a roadmap, but for people like me, who depend on shared mobility every day, we’re still stuck in limbo.

As one Rapido driver said to me, “When you take away the cheapest, fastest option, you don’t just hurt riders-you hurt livelihoods.”

For now, we’re back to square one -jostling for overpriced autos, dodging fare surges, and waiting for the state to decide whether it’s finally ready to embrace the future.