Karnataka state govt will now allow e-bike taxis on the road. Details here

Karnataka govt has announced a new policy that allows electric bike taxis to run on the road for a limited distance. The announcement of the new policy was made by the state's chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

In a tweet, Yediyurappa said, "Released the Karnataka Electric Bike Taxi Scheme 2021 today. The new policy enhances ease of living and creates self-employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in urban mobility."

Under the new policy for electric bikes, organisations or individuals will be able to register their e-bikes as taxis. However, the bikes will have to clearly mention the words "bike taxi" in order to receive the status of e-bike taxi. Additionally, the e-bike taxi companies will have to provide insurance coverage for the rider and the owner.

Aravind Sanka, Co-founder, Rapido said, "We appreciate the Karnataka government's decision to let e2W register as a commercial bike taxi. This is a long-awaited step in the right direction and will help people utilize their well-earned assets to earn a livelihood. Owing to the successful pilot of EVs in Delhi, this latest development will further help us amping up our EV services, with the right EV partner, in Bangalore as well."

He further added, "We also should not forget that most of the Bengaluru citizens currently own a fuel-based two-wheeler, which can help us solve the challenges of traffic congestion and the impact on income due to the pandemic. We are in talks with the state government to consider bikes as a taxi service and hope to see a similar development on this front as well. Rapido already has the infrastructure and demand from users that could be leveraged towards the cause. We are optimistic regarding bike taxi legality becoming a reality soon.”