Daily Newsings: 3 July 2025
On the government's new guidelines allowing bike taxis
Daily Newsings are musings on the daily news
The Union Government has notified new guidelines (the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025) that make a provision for bike taxis to operate legally. Clause 23 of the guidelines states that state governments may allow the aggregation of non-transport motorcycles for shared mobility. This means that if state governments allow it, bike taxis could once again be plying on the roads.
This comes as a relief for both taxi operators as well as commuters. Especially in cities like Bengaluru which does not have a strong public transport network like other major cities, bike taxis were a hugely helpful means of travel for many commuters. Another issue in Bengaluru has been the issue of last-mile connectivity. Bike taxis, especially on aggregator platforms such as Rapido and Uber had been a solution to the problem of last-mile connectivity. But in June 15, the Karnataka state government had banned bike taxis. Most people believe the move was done under pressure from the autorickshaw lobby.
We must be grateful for these guidelines by the union government making provision for bike taxis. In a country like India where there are many public infrastructure challenges, any solution, no matter how small, does contribute to solving problems. At the same time, these small wins may distract us from the larger issue of poor public infrastructure. Cities like Bengaluru need better roads, better connected and more affordable public transport options. Solutions like bike taxis ought to solve last-mile connectivity issues, not be the only solution because no other viable alternative exists.
A tangential topic to that of bike taxis is the topic of increasing private personal convenience at the loss of public spaces. Our lives are increasingly becoming isolated from that of our neighbours. Our food and groceries are delivered to our doorsteps, removing the need to interact with the local grocery shop owner or the restaurant owner. Each time the delivery partner is a different person, removing the need to form any sense of relationship with the person. We increasingly travel through individual taxis such as autorickshaws or bike taxis, as opposed to public transport. This removes the need to interact with fellow commuters. And our issues of electricity, plumbing, and other such issues are taken care of by the apartment association, removing the need to interact with government employees or any other neighbours. The only community we have today is the community we intentionally choose to engage with.
The Christian call to love my neighbour becomes rather difficult when I don't deal with individual neighbours whose names I know. My neighbour is "the delivery partner" or "the rider assigned to me." Is this good? How does loving my neighbour look like in this changed world? I don't think there are straightforward answers to these questions. But it is important that we try and ask such questions.