Every single day, lakhs of solo commuters, students, and working-class citizens across Karnataka are being priced out of daily transit. The Karnataka state government is actively pushing for a complete, state-wide ban on bike taxis in the Supreme Court of India. While the crackdowns and vehicle seizures are most visible in Bengaluru, a legal victory for the state will permanently kill affordable last-mile connectivity in every single district, including Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru, and Belagavi.

By aggressively seizing vehicles and refusing to implement a commercial permit framework for petrol bike taxis, the state transport department is facilitating a forced monopoly for traditional auto-rickshaws. Artificially restricting market choices to shield an older business model from fair competition directly hurts the common public.

This state-wide restriction flies directly in the face of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which guarantees citizens the right to access a variety of services at competitive prices. Stripping away a cheap, space-efficient transit asset forces citizens to choose options that often cost 3 to 4 times more.

The Macroeconomic Risk to Karnataka's Growth: Failing to provide cheap, fast, and effective transportation will severely damage the long-term economics of Bengaluru and the entire state of Karnataka.The Talent Deterrent: Bengaluru thrives because it attracts top workforce talent from across India. However, if new migrants face astronomical local transit costs and daily, paralyzing traffic exposures, they will think twice before moving here.

Corporate Flight to Rival States: Bike taxis solve both the cost and the congestion crisis simultaneously for solo commuters. Without them, the overall quality of life plummets. This will inevitably force major companies and tech startups to reconsider operating in Karnataka, steering their investments toward rival cities in other states where their workforce has access to better, more affordable mobility.

Worsening Traffic Congestion: Deleting bike taxis will not force commuters back into autos. Instead, it prices everyday citizens out of point-to-point transit entirely, forcing thousands of personal two-wheelers onto our already paralyzed roads, compounding the state's multi-crore productivity loss due to traffic delays.The transport department is punishing citizens by exploiting a policy vacuum of its own making—seizing vehicles for lacking a commercial permit that the state itself refuses to create an application window for.

📢 Our Demands:

Immediate Policy Framework: We demand that the Karnataka State Government and the Transport Department immediately draft a progressive, safe, and fair commercial permit framework for petrol bike taxis state-wide.

Protect Consumer Choice: Stop the administrative crackdowns on bike taxi riders who are providing a critical public service and protecting our city's economic mobility.

Represent the Public: We call upon legal policy guardians and consumer forums to intervene in the ongoing Supreme Court appeal to represent the missing voice of the everyday commuter and the long-term economic interests of our workforce.

Sign this petition to protect affordable mobility, fair market competition, and Karnataka's economic future!