Visakhapatnam: Vizagites are adopting newer ways to get around town, with traditional modes of transportation like buses, autorickshaws and ride shares becoming passé.The newest mode of transportation in the port city is ‘bike taxi’, in which a motorcycle or scooter owner offers rides, for a small fee of course. Customers can hire such bike taxis for a quick ride to their destination. Bike taxis are popular in countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, China and the US, and in Indian cities like Bangalore. Now, they are finding new customers in the port city of 2 million.The Road Transport Authority (RTA) has received a few applications from bike taxi service providers, including a firm called Rapido from Bangalore, for permission to run the bike taxi service in the city. Rapido’s service has been approved and is operating here now.S Venkateswara Rao, deputy transport commissioner, Visakhapatnam district, said only authorised service providers will be allowed to run in the city. “One company has already started its operations, and a few more are about to launch their services. But we have also come across complaints of unauthorized bike taxis. We will take action against them,” Rao said, adding that bike taxis have the advantage of providing quick commutes for short distances. “However, the rider must check all the permits before hopping on to a bike taxi,” he warned.One needs to call for the service through a mobile app or website. The service provider charges Rs 3 per km from the rider. This apart, the rider is also offered a life insurance cover of Rs 50,000 in the case of any road mishap.Besides other things, bike taxis can help youths having a valid driving license and bike earn some quick bucks during their spare time. Those with a clean driving history and owning a two-wheeler are recruited as ‘captains’.Talking about his first experience with a bike taxi, A Raju, a BTech student, said: “It’s good for short distances and during traffic jams, as bike taxis can negotiate their way through the narrowest of openings. It’s cheap too, but the service is yet to cover all the areas of the city.”However, not all are happy, particularly autorickshaw drivers. “We are already struggling with competition from Ola and Uber. We now have to contend with bike taxis. We feel helpless,” said K Srinivas, an autorickshaw driver.

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