Bengaluru to get two-wheeler taxi aggregators

THEY are common in Goa, but other Indian cities have been reluctant to encourage bikes as taxis. But Bengaluru, with its enormous traffic snarls and unruly auto drivers, is planning to go ahead and issue permits to two-wheeler taxi aggregators.

The Jayanagar RTO, which issues taxi permits in Bengaluru, has received more than a dozen proposals from these aggregators, who aim to repeat the success of taxi-hailing apps like Uber and Ola. Transport commissioner Rame Gowda has already confirmed that some aggregators have applied for permits to launch services.

The RTO is considering fares of Rs10 for the first two km and Rs5 for every subsequent km. The department is also preparing guidelines and regulations for bike taxis, and is evaluating whether helmets should be made mandatory for pillion riders and whether there ought to be digital meters.

Hey Bob, one of the new startups, has already launched a pilot service. Vishal Kumar, co-founder of the mobile two-wheeler taxi aggregator, told a local newspaper that the service saves time for commuters and is also economical. “After we announced our operations, over a thousand people have downloaded the app,” he said.