A high-level committee constituted by the government of Karnataka, in its report submitted to the High Court, has highlighted certain safety concerns posed by bike taxis. In its report, the committee has argued that legalising bike taxis would result in a spike in the number of 2-wheelers, worsening traffic congestion and pollution. It also highlighted concerns over women’s safety and a higher risk of accidents. The government believes that the focus should be on improving public transport. The report argues that a single bus can carry around 30 commuters while occupying the road space of 30 bikes. Also, city bus fares are significantly cheaper than bike taxis. Currently, there are around 1.06 crore vehicles in Bangalore. This includes 82.83 lakh bikes and 23.83 lakh cars. While the number of personal vehicles has gone up exponentially over the last decade, there has only been a 14% increase in public transport buses. Source:ET Auto
