Ola Quietly Removes Bike Taxi Icon From App

Transportation aggregator Ola has withdrawn the option to book bike taxis through its app. Less than a week of piloting its bike taxis in Bengaluru, the option to book a bike taxi is no longer available on the app.

Uber and Ola had both announced the launch of bike taxi services on the same day, and had said that the service brings an affordable option that would cut commute times and reduce congestion on roads.

Bikes belonging to the two companies were reportedly seized soon after by the Road Transport Authority.

Bike taxis need to obtain permission from the deputy commissioner of the concerned district of the area, and could only operate after a license to operate as a yellow board vehicle, the Commissioner for Transport and Road Safety, State Transport Department, Bengaluru had told Gadgets 360.

Uber’s Bike taxi services are still active, and bike taxis were available for booking at the time of writing. Emails sent to Ola’s spokespersons have yet to yield a response.

Haryana became the the second state in India after Goa to allow bike taxis as a mode of public transport in November 2015. Some of the funded funded startups operating in the state include Bikxie, Baxi, M-Taxi, Now Bike Taxis, and Hey Bob.