‘Haste makes waste’ is an adage whose eternal relevance is apparently beyond the understanding of the Karnataka government, or it remains oblivious of its wisdom. A growing indication that the state government gives a damn to such moral lessons comes from the highhanded manner with which it slapped a sweeping ban on bike taxis running on the roads. To put it bluntly it smacks of an administrative arrogance that belies logic, one that has no concern for the people and their well-being.

The state government has become the laughingstock of the world while dangling the ‘logic’ it has employed to impose the absurd ban. It is not only maintaining that personal two-wheelers cannot be used as transport vehicles but has also remained firm that it would not formulate any bike taxi policy, which is even more ironic as such a policy could have streamlined its functioning as also keeping the aggregators under check. To be fair enough to the officialdom, it was not an overnight decision. The state transport department has maintained that it was illegal for owners of two-wheelers to register their vehicle for commercial purposes like bike taxi services. Eventually it set a June 15 deadline for the aggregators to fall in line or face the consequences.

Buoyed by the High Court’s refusal to stay the order, the Karnataka government is sticking to its guns-personal two-wheelers cannot be used as transport vehicles. The court upheld the state’s contention that two-wheelers used for commercial passenger transport require specific registration and permits that are currently non-existent for bike taxis. This is even as there is a mounting demand by the industry body and users for a regulatory policy for bike taxis.

Taking the larger picture into consideration, one must slam the government for its untimely decision, irrespective of its reasons, as the ban will leave in the lurch over 600,000 gig workers and countless commuters, who rely on app-based platforms like Rapido, Uber and Ola, for their survival, while many of those hard pressed to meet their ends from regular employment take up this as a part-time earning to boost their monthly budget.

The Namma Bike Taxi Association has called for a regulated operation apparatus so that bike taxis can function albeit under rules governing their operations.

Ride-hailing leader Uber has clarified that the decision to halt the service was difficult but inevitable given the court ruling. It was bang on while pointing out “This will negatively impact thousands of riders who rely on bike taxis for their daily mobility needs, and thousands of drivers who depend on the service for their livelihood.” And that is where the entire gamut lies. Millions of employees in the Garden City, especially from the IT sector, depend on bike taxis on an everyday basis. It is not only a faster way to reach the office but economical as well.

A ban on this facility will adversely impact them and who knows when subject to a cumbersome journey through the Bengaluru chaos, the productivity levels of the employees could take a severe beating. Apparently worried over this possibility, top industrial and corporate houses have condemned this ‘atrocious’ move, which they alleged indicated that the government was obliging the cab lobby. There is no denying that bike taxis are essential for last-mile connectivity and are a safer option to brave the notorious traffic culture in Bengaluru. The government will remain unfazed as most of the IT sector employees are non-local and hence do not constitute a make-or-break vote bank. Nor is it concerned about the unemployed lot.