BackKarnataka minister Ramalinga Reddy denies carpooling ban in Bengaluru, says ‘it is illegal to…’
Karnataka transport ministerRamalinga Reddy took to X to clarifiy on banning carpooling in Bengaluru. The minister called it a false news.
PremiumKarnataka state transport minister Ramalinga Reddy binned the news that carpooling is banned in Bengaluru, a day after reports of the same sparked outrage among residents of Bengaluru, who constantly suffer due to overwhelming traffic in the silicon valley of India.
Ramalinga Reddy took to microblogging site ‘X’ to say ‘Carpooling is not banned, it is a false news’.
The minister further substantiated his statement ‘First, let them take permission. When they have not taken the permission where is the question of banning?’.
Reports of carpool ban in Bengaluru emerged on Sunday. The transport department had reportedly advised residents of Bengaluru not to take rides from the carpooling apps like BlaBla car, Quick Ride among others.
However, on Monday, minister Raamlinga Reddy clarified ‘it is illegal to use non-commercial private vehicles with white number plates for carpooling purposes.’
“Commercial Vehicles with yellow number plates, can be used for carpooling by following appropriate guidelines." Reddy added.
Ride-hailing apps like BlaBla Car, Quickride, Rideshare, Commute Easy, and Carpool Adda have been running carpool services for those who want to share their ride with others for affordable and available rides.
Earlier, the taxi associations and had demanded that bike taxis be banned in Bengaluru, which the Karnataka government will bring under consideration. The taxi associations and the autorickshaw drivers' union recently conducted a Bengaluru bandh and submitted a list of demands to Karnataka transport minister Ramalinga Reddy.
On 11 September, Federation of the Karnataka State Private Transport Associations observed a day-long 'bandh' seeking a ban on bike taxis, and urging the government to extend the Shakti scheme -- that offers free bus rides to women on state-run transport buses -- to private buses as well, among other demands.
The private transporters have claimed that they have been negatively impacted by the Shakti scheme and that the state government has not fulfilled their demands despite repeated discussions.
Bengaluru has the highest traffic density for any major city in the country. A city with a population of 11 million, Bengaluru has close to 12.5 million vehicles, which means a vehicle for every person living in the city.
The recent traffic gridlock has left many commuters on roads for hours on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road, which houses many IT parks and global investments.
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