Karnataka Government Challenges High Court Bike Taxi Order In Supreme Court

The Karnataka government has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court challenging a January 2026 High Court order that directed the state to allow bike taxi operations.

The Supreme Court officially admitted the Karnataka Government's petition earlier this week on Tuesday. The SLP was filed after months of legal back-and-forth involving operators Ola, Uber, and Rapido and the Karnataka Government.

A single-judge bench of Justice B. Shyam Prasad ordered all bike taxi services in Karnataka to halt in April 2025 until the state framed specific rules permitting such operations. Services run by Ola, Uber, and Rapido were suspended from June 2025 after the court declined to stay the ban.

In January 2026, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Joshi overturned that order, directing the state to register motorcycles as transport vehicles and issue contract carriage permits to aggregators.

Karnataka Government's Legal Argument For Bike Taxi Ban

Karnataka's SLP argues the Division Bench's order undermines the state's discretion to refuse contract carriage permits under Section 74(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The petition states motorcycles have never been classified as motor cabs or contract carriages under the Act - either by definition or regulatory intent.

The Karnataka government further argues that contract carriage operations require permit conditions, safety norms, fare regulation, and passenger liability frameworks. In the absence of specific statutory rules for motorcycles, the state contends that automatic inclusion as transport vehicles is legally impermissible.

An official from Karnataka's Transport Department told ETV Bharat that the SLP was filed to prevent the HC order from setting a legal precedent, not necessarily to permanently block bike taxis. He further stated that the Karnataka government may still formulate a regulatory framework for bike taxi operations in the future as it was sympathetic towards bike taxi operators.

In January 2026, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had written to Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi stating the state was favourably considering allowing bike taxis and drafting guidelines, a position that preceded the decision to file the SLP.

Operator & Rider Impact

The Karnataka Government's petition to the Supreme Court will certainly disappoint bike taxi operators who had resumed or were preparing to resume services after the January High Court order.

Thousands of bike taxi operators across Karnataka were affected during the June-January suspension period, according to the Namma Bike Taxi Association. During that period multiple challans were issued to riders operating through platforms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido.

DriveSpark Thinks

The Karnataka government is not wrong in saying that the Motor Vehicles Act needs to be updated to properly accommodate bike taxis. The need for clearer safety standards, insurance frameworks, and fare regulation is valid.

However, the more immediate response could have been to move forward with a policy, something the Chief Minister had already indicated was in the works. Instead, the decision to return to court has left operators in a state of uncertainty, while also aligning with concerns raised by sections of the private transport lobby.

A government focused on supporting gig workers would typically prioritise creating a clear and workable framework following such developments. Until a policy is put in place, bike taxi operators in Karnataka continue to face ambiguity around their ability to operate and earn a decent income.