Legalising e-bike taxis will affect our livelihood: Auto drivers

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Several auto rickshaw drivers unions have threatened to hold a rally to protest against the state government for allowing electric bike taxis to operate in the city limits. The rally will be held from KSR Bengaluru city railway station to Freedom Park on December 29, the union said.

Even though the unions have said that the operations of the autos in the city will not be disrupted, they might only be available in the central areas of the city. The unions are of the belief that legalising ebike taxis will affect their livelihoods.

They say that companies have destroyed auto drivers by making them gullible to incentives offered through the aggregator app. On December 6, the Karnataka transport department decided to issue a licence to the parent company of Bounce, Wicked Ride, allowing them to operate e-bike taxi services in the state.

The government has also fixed the fare at Rs 25 for 5 km and Rs 50 for 10 km. The auto drivers have been protesting over the issue for two years now and have also written to the transport department on several occasions regarding the need to curb these services.