Bengaluru: In a major policy shift, Karnataka’s transport department has made it mandatory for all electric transport vehicles to obtain permits — reversing a 2021 exemption that had allowed them to operate freely.The new rule, effective from July 1, applies to taxi aggregators using electric cars, e-auto drivers, electric buses, and goods vehicles. Permits will now be compulsory for both new and already registered EVs, though they will be issued free of cost. Ethanol and methanol-powered vehicles must also secure permits.Officials say the earlier exemption led to unregulated operations. “Over 10,000 e-autos, taxis, and buses are plying in the state without permits. We’ve had no regulatory hold over them,” a senior transport official said. “We couldn’t act on fare violations or monitor inter-state electric buses. Some were even competing unfairly with tax-paying, permitted services.”Permits will give the department a mechanism to enforce rules and maintain order, the official added.Bengaluru, in particular, had set population-based caps for auto permits — a rule not applied to e-autos. The influx of unregulated electric autos is said to have strained the market and triggered complaints from traditional operators. Several have argued that the exemption granted EVs an unfair edge, affecting their livelihoods.
