Uber, Ola Asked to Stop Ride-sharing Services in 3 Days by Karnataka Govt

Karnataka’s transport dept has given cab aggregators Uber, Ola and others three days deadline to stop their ride-sharing services in the state after terming the service as illegal.
According to the transport department, Karnataka’s laws do not allow taxi owners to make multiple pickups en-route and are only allowed to pick up customers at the source and dropping them off at their destination. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corp (BMTC) has the exclusive right to pick up and drop a pool of commuters in the city, the dept said.
The state transport commissioner M.K. Aiyappa said that the cab aggregators have agreed to comply with the order, but have asked for three days of time to make changes in the software that powers the app. He said that the state is not averse to the idea of ride sharing, which helps reduce traffic on roads, besides offering lower prices to consumers, and added that it could be allowed in public interest by way of an executive order as provided for under the MV Act.
“If the aggregators make a representation, we will study it and recommend for appropriate policies to the government,“ he said.