The Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday barring bike taxi services in the city has hurt not only aggregators and riders but also regular users of this affordable mode of inter-city travel.
Many people The Hindu spoke to said they are dismayed by the decision, adding that they plan to use metro and e-rickshaw services now for last-mile connectivity.
Shruti, 20, an intern in a private company, said she used to take bike taxis almost daily from the metro station near her workplace to home.
“Now, I would have to take an auto or e-rickshaw which, I feel, will create problems. Their fares fluctuate depending on the weather and the traffic.
“Another concern would be safety; unlike unauthorised vehicles, details of the rider and the vehicle are provided on the bike tax apps,” Shruti added.
Arkoprabho Hazra, 24, a government employee, said he used to take bike taxis every other day as they were cheaper. “I will have to shift to public transport, using a mix of autorickshaws and cabs. It will cost me more.”
Prakhar, a student in Delhi University’s North Campus, highlighted how bike taxis were cost-effective, faster and easily navigated their way through traffic and narrow lanes.
However, many bike taxis were seen plying in the city on Wednesday.
Parth, 20, a DU student, said he is still able to book bike taxis via apps with ease, despite the SC order. He told The Hindu that when he expressed his concern about the ban with a rider, the latter simply told him not to worry.
When contacted, Transport Commissioner Ashish Kundra said, “The Delhi government has not notified any policy allowing bike taxis and aggregators have not taken any licence from the Transport Department to run them. Still, we will issue advisories to the aggregators asking them to comply with the Supreme Court order and not run bike taxis till a policy is notified by the government.”
