Bengaluru mandates 4-hour counselling for gig workers violating traffic rules
What's the story
In a bid to tackle the rising number of traffic violations by app-based delivery workers, Bengaluru's traffic police have launched a new initiative. The program requires offenders to attend a mandatory four-hour counseling session at a traffic police station. Joint Commissioner of Police Karthik Reddy said around 4,000 cases have been registered against gig workers in three days.
Violation spike
Delivery workers often resort to risky riding practices
The initiative was launched after concerns grew that delivery workers, under tight deadlines of 10-15 minutes, resort to risky riding practices.
Many gig workers use low-speed electric two-wheelers (E2Ws), like those from Yulu.
These vehicles are exempt from registration and do not require a driving license as they have a maximum speed of 25km/h and motor power under 250W.
Regulatory challenge
E2Ws have created a regulatory gray area
Reddy noted that many gig workers come from smaller towns and rural areas where traffic rules are often ignored.
He said, "We believe sensitizing them to traffic rules will make a difference."
However, he added that E2Ws have created a regulatory gray area as they don't require registration or driving licenses.
This makes enforcement difficult as many of these vehicles also lack number plates.
Industry collaboration
Traffic police had asked companies to incentivize riders
In 2024, traffic police had asked e-commerce and food delivery companies to incentivize gig workers to follow traffic rules. However, no action has been taken yet.
The most common violations by gig workers include riding against one-way traffic, on footpaths, jumping signals, illegal parking, and riding without helmets.
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said these issues are serious as E2Ws fall outside the Motor Vehicles Act due to their lower motor power.
Violation data
Many violations recorded in first 5 months of 2026
Between January and May 2026, Bengaluru traffic police recorded a staggering number of violations across all vehicle categories.
This included 666,562 cases of signal jumping, 762,165 cases of wrong parking, and 259,470 cases of no entry violations.
Despite the regulatory framework under the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) Act for app-based mobility services, these rules remain largely unenforced.