Amid carpooling row, minister Ramalinga Reddy says no ban, operators should obtain permits

BENGALURU: Amid the debate over the reported ban on carpooling and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s subsequent clarification after Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya raised the issue, private transporters are now opposing any move to allow carpooling.

“Carpooling is not banned, it is false news. First, let them take permission. When they have not taken the permission where is the question of banning? Everyone should follow the rules and regulations,” Ramalinga Reddy said in a post on X.

https://x.com/RLR_BTM/status/1708846010959892754?s=20

Reddy, however pointed, out that it is illegal to use non-commercial private vehicles with white registration plates for carpooling. “It is illegal to use non-commercial private vehicles with white number plates for carpooling purposes. Commercial vehicles with yellow number plates can be used for carpooling by following appropriate guidelines”, he added.

Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy said app-based carpooling operators should obtain permit from the Transport Department.

“People commute by autos and taxi apart from BMTC buses and there are other operators whose vehicles have yellow registration boards and there is no issue with any of them as they have procured permits. Last month, when the private transporters had gone on strike, they had presented a set of 30 demands which included carpooling using vehicles with white registration boards which are meant for private use and not commercial use. Those operating carpooling services have not obtained permission. In a couple of cases, Transport Department officers have levied fines”, he told Public TV.

“Despite knowing that running carpooling services with white board vehicles is illegal, they are continuing to operate. I agree that traffic congestion will reduce with carpooling and it will also reduce the burden on the travellers. The operators should switch to yellow board and seek permission which the government can consider. Otherwise, the other private operators will object to it”, he pointed out.

Tejasvi Surya, who has posted on X saying that carpooling should not be banned, had also written a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah pointing out that carpooling will help reduce traffic congestion, especially along the IT corridor.

The MP, who is also the BJP Yuva Morcha national president raised the issue while speaking at Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara and said, “Bengaluru, like most of the other urban cities in India, faces a huge problem of traffic jams. The objective of the policymakers must be to discourage private car ownership and encourage public transport as much as possible. Carpooling is one such option where common people can come together and go to a particular destination in one vehicle, and share resources and expenses. This will help decongest the city, especially during the peak hours. State government should update its redundant laws and encourage the use of public transport”.

The MP said the Transport Department is trying to enforce their policy in such a way that people will be fined Rs 10,000 if they are carpooling.

“The Transport Department is penalising people and is planning to enforce it in such a manner that if people use carpooling they will be fined Rs 10,000. This is regressive and will contribute to more traffic jams. I demand the state government to relook at the policy propositions that they are making”, Surya added.

Last week, the Maharashtra government announced a ban on carpooling while the state government says only registered app-based firms will be allowed to operate. However, private transport operators are opposed to the idea.

Nataraj Sharma, president of the federation of private transport operators’ associations.

“We had staged a protest to demand a ban on illegal bike taxi and carpooling operators and officials are now imposing penalties. Operating such services using vehicles with white registration board is illegal under the Motor Vehicle Act and we urge the government to crack down on them”, said Nataraj Sharma, president of the federation of private transport operators’ associations.

“Under the corporate carpooling policy, only employees of those individual companies can carpool. If the government allows carpooling beyond this, we will stage protest. The government should ban all unregistered app-based operators and collect 2 per cent royalty from all registered operators from the date of their registration”, Nataraj Sharma added.

Tanveer Pasha of the Ola-Uber taxi association.

Tanveer Pasha of the Ola-Uber taxi association said, “Carpooling and sharing is illegal under the MV Act. Non-commercial vehicles are only for personal use, but commercial vehicles also cannot provide any sharing or pooling services. Tejasvi Surya should also think about the lakhs of drivers who depend on day-to-day earnings”.