Bangalore auto driver smashes phone of Rapido bike taxi rider: Police register complaint [Video]

A video of an auto driver harassing a bike taxi rider has become viral on the Internet. After the video became viral on the Internet, Bengaluru Police registered a case against the auto driver. The video shows the auto driver abusing the bike taxi rider and smashing the extra helmet that they keep for the customers.

@indiranagaraps is investigating the incident. Strict and necessary action will be taken. https://t.co/QosaVAF0gO

— ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ನಗರ ಪೊಲೀಸ್‌ BengaluruCityPolice (@BlrCityPolice) March 7, 2023

The Rapido bike rider, who was reportedly from North East did not retaliate to the abuses. In the video, we can hear the auto driver saying, “You come from a different place and do this service… It is a loss to auto drivers,” The auto driver also says, “As you can all see, this man is from another country. He happily operates bike taxis here. This shows how the auto department reeks of corruption. This boy just dropped off a lady passenger on his illegally-run bike taxi. He is not from our country. He is an outsider,”

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The bike taxi rider took the job reportedly to support his tuition fees. The incident happened on Monday near the Indira Nagar metro station in Bengaluru. The video was shot by an onlooker who later shared it on social media platforms tagging the police and requesting action.

The Bengaluru Police have registered a case and said that strict action will be taken against the auto rider. The bike rider is yet to file a complaint against the auto driver. However, the cops have already started looking for the autorickshaw driver and further probe is underway.

Bike taxis banned in many states

Bike taxis are banned in many cities across India after protesters from the local autorickshaw union. Last month, the Delhi government imposed a ban on bike taxis. The decision came after the Supreme Court of India declined relief to the bike, taxi and auto aggregator Rapido, which challenged the Bombay High Court’s order directing the company to stop operations in Maharashtra immediately as it does not have a license to operate bike, taxi or rickshaw services.

In 2018, around 13 states and Union Territories in India permitted bike taxis to operate, including New Delhi, Maharashtra and Karnataka. But later in 2019, with the rising protests from auto unions, several state governments started flagging issues of violations. For example, the Madras High Court banned Rapido bike taxis.

The court observed that the biggest risk in bike taxi services is that the rides are not legally insured. In Rapido, the bikes only have personal insurance coverage. That means during any accident, it will only cover the rider and the third party, which is the passenger. Hence, the victims are left helpless in case of any mishap.

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