The Karnataka government will be holding a meeting on Tuesday with carpooling aggregators. While clarifying that there is no ban on carpooling in Bengaluru, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “None of the carpooling apps have taken permission to operate. Hence, we have a meeting with them. However, we as the government see carpooling as one of the solutions for traffic issues faced in the city. But the carpooling app is run for a profit, and they must obtain a license and use yellow-board vehicles.”
Following recent reports in sections of the media, Mr. Reddy said, “Carpooling in Bengaluru has not been banned. Recent media reports on social media are wrong. No official order or notification has been issued regarding this.”
After a few media reports, Lok Sabha MP from Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya, had also urged the government to take back the banning of carpooling. He even wrote a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. “A ban on car-pooling only encourages congestion, the last thing people of Bengaluru would want to experience,” he posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
