Ajay (name changed), an IT professional who travels daily from his home in Varthur to his office in Whitefield, was a regular bike-taxi commuter until Karnataka imposed a State-wide ban on the service. Since then, he has been forced to switch to autorickshaws, which has nearly doubled his daily commute expense.

“Earlier, I used to pay ₹60-70 for a bike-taxi for the 8 km distance, but now shell out around ₹200 for the same ride by auto,” said Ajay.

Neha (name changed), an architect who commutes to Indiranagar every day, has also noticed a similar spike in costs across mobility platforms.

“It’s getting difficult to commute. Taking the price hike into account, I’ll need to budget at least ₹3,000 more every month just for travel,” she noted.

Ajay and Neha are not alone. Commuters across Bengaluru have raised concerns about rising fares following the State government’s decision to ban bike taxi services.

Steep hike

A senior executive at a ride aggregator, who requested anonymity, confirmed a sharp increase in demand for autorickshaws since the ban.

“With bike taxis temporarily unavailable, demand for autos has naturally surged. Since pricing is dynamic, users are experiencing higher rates. However, we expect this to normalise soon,” said the executive.

Apart from steeper fares, commuters are also facing longer wait times — often being compelled to add tips to get rides accepted. Many have noticed new levies such as ‘congestion fees’ added to their final bills on platforms such as Namma Yatri.

Ella (name changed), a media professional, shared her experience of booking an auto from KR Puram metro station to her home in Marathahalli.

“I had to add a ₹60 tip just to get a driver to accept the ride. Even then, I waited almost 20 minutes. On top of that, a 35 per cent congestion fee was added to my final bill,” she said.

On June 14, the Karnataka High Court’s division bench declined to stay a single-judge order that had directed bike-taxi operators to halt services, bringing the government’s ban into full effect. In response, Rapido notified users via an in-app message:

“Starting June 16, our bike taxi services in Karnataka will be paused in compliance with recent High Court orders... We are navigating the way forward with the government to bring your favourite bike taxis back on the road soon.”

The court has issued notices to the State and other stakeholders, seeking responses by June 20. The next hearing is scheduled for June 24.

Published on June 18, 2025