Bengaluru: 'No Ban On Carpooling Apps, Need Legal Permissions To Operate,' Says Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy

Ramalinga Reddy, Transport and Muzrai Minister of Karnataka has clarified in a recent statement that there is no ban on carpooling, but he has emphasized that these apps must secure the necessary permissions to operate legally.

This statement follows the backdrop of demands from taxi and auto associations to cease the operations of carpooling apps, which they claim are operating illegally.

Ramalinga Reddy has set up a meeting with the carpool app aggregators scheduled for tomorrow at 10 a.m. for further discussion on the matter.

What is Carpooling?

Carpooling was considered a significant factor in alleviating traffic congestion on Bengaluru's roads during peak hours, with numerous IT employees relying on these services to travel to work from their residences.

Recently, the taxi associations have expressed concerns that carpooling services are impacting their daily income and have formally requested the government to address this issue. Additionally, the taxi associations, along with the autorickshaw drivers' union, organized a Bengaluru bandh and presented a set of demands to Ramalinga Reddy, the Karnataka transport minister. One of the prominent demands put forth by the autorickshaw drivers is the prohibition of bike taxis.