Booking autorickshaws through ride-hailing apps in Karnataka will be illegal from today (Wednesday) in Karnataka, Business Standard reported. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommani asked the state's transport department to take stern action if such companies were found to be offering auto-rickshaw services in Bengaluru, according to Economic Times. Speaking to the Media, Karnataka's Transport Commissioner T.H.M Kumar said that ride-hailing platforms such as Ola and Uber cannot provide autorickshaw services until the government takes a decision on this matter. Rs 5000 penalty per vehicle: The Karnataka government said on Tuesday that a Rs 5000 penalty will be imposed on ride-aggregators if they continue to offer auto rickshaw services in Bengaluru. However, a Medianama employee was able to book autos using ride-hailing apps in Bengaluru and travel through heavily policed areas like Indira Nagar and Marathahalli without any problem. This move comes after 13 auto rickshaw drivers' unions asked the State government to ban the three aggregators (Uber, OLA, Rapido), Business Standard reported. It also reported that 50% of the 2 lakh autorickshaw drivers in Bengaluru offer services through ride-hailing platforms. Background: Medianama had previously reported that Karnataka's transport department had filed 292 complaints against cab aggregators Ola and Uber after receiving complaints of over-charging from commuters. Also, Autorickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU) is launching its own app in partnership with Nandan Nilekani-backed Beckn Foundation, in their shift away from private cab aggregators. What next? To continue offering services, the ride aggregators will have to file a fresh application but until then they've been…
