After protest by auto drivers, Minister assures action against Rapido

Bengaluru: Karnataka Transport Minister B Sriramalu promised on Tuesday that action will be taken against aggregator company Rapido, which provides two-wheeler bike services, in response to an uprising by auto rickshaw drivers in Bengaluru on Monday.

"Auto rickshaws have long been a staple of Bengaluru's transportation infrastructure, and action will be taken against aggregator companies like Rapido that are doing so without a licence. In this regard, I have ordered the authorities to take appropriate measures," Sriramalu added. To protest the "illegal" operation of Rapido services and other e-bike taxi services in the city, autorickshaw drivers had called for a 24-hour protest from Sunday 12 am to Monday 12 am. Several commuters felt the pinch as it was tough to obtain an auto, especially in central Bengaluru and the area around the city railway station.

Later that day, when protesting auto drivers attempted to block the main road at KG Road, the police detained them. Some of the protesting drivers even made other drivers who did not join the strike stop their services. As a mocking gesture, the protesting drivers likewise adorned their non-protesting peers with a garland.

In Bengaluru, clashes between Rapido and autorickshaw drivers have gotten worse. An autorickshaw driver who threatened a Rapido driver in Indiranagar was detained by Bengaluru police earlier this month after the incident's video went viral on social media.

The convenor of The Bengaluru Auto Drivers Union's Federation, M Manjunath, has also requested in a memorandum that the Karnataka government follow the lead of the governments of Delhi and Maharashtra in imposing a ban on Rapido services in their respective cities.

The union has also asked the government to revoke the Karnataka E-bike Taxi Scheme 2021, under which the transport department had authorised Wicked Ride, the parent firm of Bounce, to run e-bike taxi services in the state in December 2022.

The union claimed that Rapido Services had exploited youngsters and enticed them to use its platforms by offering them incentives.

Rapido has not yet responded to the repeated calls for the ban of its services in Bengaluru while condemning the attacks on its drivers. The Karnataka High Court issued an interim relief in 2021 ordering the government not to pursue any coercive action against the company. The aggregator has requested a stay order from the court. On March 29, the high court will hold a hearing in this case.

Rapido has requested a stay order, so for the time being, no coercive action can be taken against them, according to a senior transport official. "Only once the stay order is lifted can anything be done," he added.