Ola Relaunches Bike Taxi Service in Bengaluru with Electric Scooters

• ByStartupStory     |    September 16, 2023

Ola, the ride-hailing company, has announced the relaunch of its bike taxi service in Bengaluru, this time with an all-electric fleet, according to founder Bhavish Aggarwal.

“Restarting Ola Bike in BLR (Bengaluru) today,” he said on microblogging platform X. “This time, all-electric and our own S1 scooters!” 

He said that customers would be charged Rs 25 for 5 kilometers and Rs 50 for 10 kilometers, adding that the service will be scaled across the country over the next few months. 

It’s worth noting that Ola’s reentry into the bike taxi market in Bengaluru is occurring amidst ongoing legal disputes between ride-hailing companies and the Karnataka government regarding the legality of bike taxi services. However, Ola’s new service aligns with the Karnataka government’s policy, which permits electric vehicles to operate as bike taxis. In contrast, some Indian states, like Telangana, permit petrol-powered bike taxis. 

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled that two-wheeler taxis could not operate in Delhi until a comprehensive policy is established, impacting bike-taxi aggregators like Ola, Uber, and Rapido.

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