Bengaluru bike taxi row: Rapido ride turns violent; driver detained, police file FIR

A disturbing altercation between a Rapido bike taxi driver and a woman passenger in Bengaluru's Jayanagar has triggered public outrage after a video of the incident went viral on social media. The woman, reportedly employed at a jewellery store, confronted the rider over rash driving and chose to disembark mid-ride. The situation escalated rapidly, culminating in physical assault captured on camera.

The dispute intensified due to a language barrier: the woman communicated in English, while the driver, identified as Suman S, spoke only Kannada. Tensions mounted when the woman allegedly refused to pay the fare and return the helmet. According to police, she struck the rider first, prompting Suman to retaliate by slapping her, causing her to fall to the ground.

Despite the altercation unfolding in a public space, onlookers did not intervene. The viral video shows both parties pleading with bystanders, but no one stepped forward to de-escalate the conflict.

However, a new CCTV clip has emerged which shows the woman hitting him first, as claimed by the rider, Suman S, earlier. In the video, with a timestamp of 9.38 am, the woman was seen hitting the man on his bike repeatedly. The man then got off his bike and continued to argue with the woman. She was seen hitting him again.

Suman has been detained, and a police case has been filed against him. The FIR names charges under Sections 115(2) (attempt to cause hurt), 352 (assault or criminal force), and 79 (uttering obscene words in a public place) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). His vehicle number is KA-05-KJ-2897.

The driver claimed the situation worsened after the passenger demanded an unsafe stop. “She kept asking me to stop while I was in the middle of the road. I explained that someone would hit us from behind if we stopped there,” he said.

Suman also admitted to making a xenophobic remark, telling the woman to "go back to your country." He further alleged that she abused him and grabbed his collar. “She asked if I was educated and continued to be rude. I asked about the payment, but she kept abusing me. She hit me twice with a tiffin box, and that’s when I hit her back,” he said.

Initially reluctant to lodge a complaint, the woman approached the Jayanagar Police Station after the video surfaced and her friends encouraged her to act. In her complaint, she accused the driver of reckless driving and physical assault, stating that he used abusive language and assaulted her in a public space.

The incident comes at a critical time for bike taxi services in Karnataka. Just days earlier, the Karnataka High Court declined to stay a directive banning bike taxis. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy reiterated that using privately registered two-wheelers for commercial purposes is illegal, noting that the services lacked proper licences.

Rapido, a leading platform offering such services, has responded by suspending its bike taxi operations and launching a new offering, ‘Bike Parcel’, to comply with regulatory guidelines.