Karnataka High Court Lifts Ban on Bike Taxis, Grants Relief to Ola, Uber

• The Karnataka High Court has lifted the ban on bike taxi services in the state, quashing a previous single judge's order.
• A division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakharu and Justice C.M. Joshi delivered the verdict, accepting appeals from aggregators like Ola and Uber.
• The court dismissed the April 2025 ban order and directed bike owners and aggregators to apply for licenses, with the government mandated to issue permits.
• The court clarified that the state cannot deny taxi registration for motorcycles solely because they are two-wheelers.
• The ban was initially imposed in June last year due to the absence of a clear regulatory framework, impacting services like Rapido, Ola, and Uber Moto.

Why It Matters: Karnataka High Court allows bike taxis to resume, directing government to issue licenses and regulate services.