Karnataka to give licence to e-bike taxi soon: Rs 25 for 5 km

News Network
December 7, 2022

Bengaluru: The Karnataka transport department has said it will soon issue a licence to Wicked Ride, the parent company of Bounce, to operate electric bike taxi services in the state. The state government has fixed the fare at Rs 25 for 5 km and Rs 50 for 10 km. The E-bike taxi services will be permitted to operate under the Karnataka Electric Bike Taxi Scheme, 2021.

According to officials at Bounce, the company applied for the licence to operate e-bike taxis a year ago, after the government notified the e-bike taxi scheme in 2021. The transport department Tuesday, December 6, held a discussion with Bounce and Blu Smart, regarding the application for a licence to operate e-bike taxis and e-ride-sharing services in the state. According to sources, other car and bike rental service companies were also part of different meetings with regard to licensing issues.

However, a senior transport official told indianexpress.com: “We will officially provide the licence and announce the operations of e-bike taxis in the next two-three days. The e-bike taxi operators will get a licence after they comply and submit the required documents as per the state’s e-bike taxi scheme. The Karnataka State Transport Authority chairman will take a final call on the same. After which, the operators will be given time to prepare for rolling out their services…”

According to the e-bike taxi scheme, the licence will be valid for a period of five years from the date of issue. It also mandates that the distance between the origin and the destination trip shall not be more than 10 km, among other stipulations.

Bounce officials stated that under the e-bike taxi service, the company will introduce a new type of scooter and will also allow women riders to be part of the service.

M Manjunath, president of Adarsha Auto and Taxi Driver’s union, said: “We vehemently oppose this decision of the state government. It is clearly against the interests of poor autorickshaw drivers. Already, apps like Rapido have destroyed the livelihoods of auto-rickshaw drivers by operating illegally. The introduction of e-bike taxis with such low fares is going to devastate the auto drivers’ livelihood further.”

Dr Ashish Verma, a Bengaluru-based mobility expert, said: “The introduction of e-bike taxis has its own advantages and disadvantages. While the service can enhance the last and first-mile connectivity from metro stations, reduce pollution, and encourage public transportation, among other factors… Road fatalities and safety concerns still haunt the efficient use of two-wheelers in the country. Also, the e-bike taxi services can further dent the livelihood of auto drivers. In addition, covering long distances might also be a problem.”

Meanwhile, the transport department gave a month’s time to cab aggregators to comply with Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2018. Cab aggregators Ola and Uber applied for renewal of licences for their cab services Tuesday.

According to the transport department, cab aggregators were yet to comply with rules like installing panic buttons, GPS-enabled tracking, and setting up a control room and grievance cell, among others.

The transport department has given Ola a month’s time, and Uber one-and-a-half months’ time to comply with the rules, until which their licenses won’t be renewed. However, the dispute on auto services ‘illegally’ operated by them has continued to be a sub-judice matter.

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Agencies
November 22,2025

indiapak.jpg

New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump has again claimed to have solved the conflict between India and Pakistan, repeating his assertion during a meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office.

Mamdani flew to Washington DC for his first meeting with Trump in the White House on Friday. Trump said he “enjoyed” the meeting, which he described as “great.”

During remarks in the Oval Office, with Mamdani standing next to him, Trump repeated his claim that he solved the May conflict between India and Pakistan.

"I did eight peace deals of countries, including India and Pakistan,” he said.

On Wednesday, Trump had said he threatened to put 350 per cent tariffs on India and Pakistan if they did not end their conflict, repeating his claim that he solved the fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called him to say “we're not going to go to war.”

Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim over 60 times that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan.

India has consistently denied any third-party intervention. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

Mamdani emerged victorious in the closely-watched battle for New York City Mayor, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to be elected to sit at the helm of the largest city in the US.

He had been the front-runner in the NYC Mayoral election for months and defeated Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and political heavyweight former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate and was officially endorsed by Trump just hours before the elections.

Indian-descent Mamdani is the son of renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. He was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda and moved to New York City with his family when he was 7. Mamdani became a naturalised US citizen only recently, in 2018.

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News Network
November 24,2025

Mangaluru, Nov 24: The original departure time of 11.10 pm was a distant memory for scores of Dammam-bound passengers at Mangaluru International Airport last Friday night, as their Air India Express flight was abruptly cancelled at the eleventh hour, sparking hours of frustration and chaos.

The flight, IX 885, initially scheduled to depart at 11.10 pm on November 22, was subject to two back-to-back reschedules—first pushed to 11.45 pm and then significantly postponed to 1.40 am—before the final, crushing announcement of cancellation was made. For the travellers, many of whom are likely expatriate workers with tight schedules, the last-minute change marked the beginning of a distressing ordeal.

"There was no drinking water, no food, and absolutely no proper guidance. We were left stranded like refugees," complained a stranded passenger.

According to multiple passenger accounts, the airline's ground staff failed to provide adequate support or essential amenities following the cancellation. Complaints poured in about the total absence of drinking water, food provisions, and any reliable guidance from the carrier's representatives. Travellers alleged they were left stranded for a considerable period, with no immediate arrangements or clear communication offered regarding accommodation or alternative travel to send them back home.

The incident has highlighted serious concerns over the carrier's contingency planning and customer service protocols during flight disruptions at one of India's key international gateways. The airline is yet to issue a comprehensive statement addressing the alleged lapse in passenger care.
 

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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