Karnataka Moves Supreme Court Against Bike Taxi Ruling, Cites Safety and Insurance Concerns

Key facts

• Karnataka has approached the Supreme Court against the Karnataka High Court Division Bench judgment that directed authorities to consider registering motorcycles as transport vehicles and issuing permits for bike taxis.
• Karnataka argued that the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, does not create an unconditional right to use a particular category of vehicle as a taxi.
• The state cited passenger safety, higher fatality risk associated with two-wheelers, road congestion, and pollution as grounds for restricting bike taxis.
• Karnataka disputed the High Court's interpretation that motorcycles could qualify as 'motor cabs' and 'contract carriages' under the Motor Vehicles Act.
• The state said its On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregator Rules, 2016, were framed for four-wheeled motor cabs and do not provide for motorcycles.
• The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) informed the Rajya Sabha on March 18, 2026, that 'bike taxi' is not defined under the Motor Vehicles Act or its rules.
• Karnataka said motorcycle owners can continue using vehicles for delivery and logistics services through platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon, and Flipkart, and gig workers are covered under the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025.
• Karnataka claimed that restricting bike taxis could potentially prevent about 1.39 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year and help ease congestion.
• The High Court had held that operating taxis is a legitimate business protected under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution and that the unwritten prohibition on bike taxis was an unreasonable restriction.