As bike taxi ban looms, Bengalureans turn to carpooling for daily commute

Bengaluru bans bike taxis, leading commuters to embrace carpooling for affordable and reliable daily travel options.

With Bengaluru preparing to implement a ban on bike taxis following a recent High Court directive, commuters in the city are being forced to rethink their daily travel choices. Among the emerging alternatives, carpooling is rapidly gaining popularity, especially among working professionals and students seeking affordable and reliable options.

The shift comes after the Karnataka High Court on April 2 ordered app-based transport providers like Rapido, Ola, and Uber to stop offering bike taxi services within six weeks.

For thousands of daily commuters, bike taxis have been a low-cost, time-saving solution in the traffic-congested city. “Bike taxis were often the cheapest alternative after BMTC buses and the metro. With their recent fare hikes, we’re running out of budget-friendly choices,” said Pavithra G., a daily commuter from Jayanagar.

Public transport costs have surged in recent months, compounding the challenges for daily travellers. From April 1, the State government increased the sales tax on diesel, pushing fuel prices up by ₹2 per litre. Around the same time, metro fares jumped by as much as 71%, and BMTC bus fares saw a 15% hike. This trifecta of rising costs has left commuters scrambling for alternatives that won’t burn a hole in their pockets.

In this context, carpooling has emerged as a viable and sustainable option. Several carpooling platforms are witnessing increased user interest. QuickRide, one of the more established platforms, is catering specifically to intra-city commuters heading to office districts. Other apps like GoPool and QuicReach are operating using yellow-board commercial vehicles to connect passengers on similar routes.

The legality of carpooling in Bengaluru had previously raised questions, but the Karnataka government in 2023 clarified that such services are permitted as long as they are not profit-driven. While the transport department had announced its intention to frame a dedicated carpooling policy, the official guidelines are still awaited.

For many in the city, carpooling is not just an economical choice but a necessity in the current situation.