Bengaluru, 22 April

The Bike Taxi Welfare Association (BTW) said on Wednesday that it had submitted a formal representation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, seeking urgent clarity on the future of bike taxi operations in the State.

The representation comes in the backdrop of recent media reports suggesting that the State government may consider filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the Karnataka High Court order permitting bike taxi operations.

The BTA, representing bike taxi riders across the State, said in a statement that such a move appears inconsistent with earlier assurances of a policy-led resolution.

The issue has previously seen engagement at the highest levels, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi writing to the CM, highlighting that lakhs of drivers had been without work for months and urging a timely resolution, the BTA noted.

The CM had then confirmed that the government was developing a framework aligned with the court’s directives.

The BTA emphasised that a majority of bike taxi riders are local Kannadiga youth from modest socio-economic backgrounds, who rely on bike taxis as their primary source of income, and expressed hope that a “forward-looking” decision will be taken.