Express News Service By

BENGALURU: Online cab aggregator Ola’s plan to start a bus service in Bengaluru called Ola Shuttle has taken a hit with Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy stating that no permission has been sought for it.

Ola Shuttle was scheduled to start operating on 100 routes in Bengaluru and Gurgaon from September 21. Besides Ola, the services offered by ZipGo are also under the scanner. ZipGo, which runs 12-seater maxicabs in a few routes in Bengaluru, is also planning to start bus services.

No Permission

Ramalinga Reddy told Express that no permission has been issued for the cab aggregators to offer any other services, apart from the ones they are currently providing.

“Ola and other cab aggregators are allowed to run cabs. However, no permission has been granted for them to run buses,” he said.

Even if the cab aggregators want to operate buses, they should get it through an appropriate channel.

“However, we cannot grant them permission inside Bengaluru city limits, as Bengaluru Metro Transport Corporation is already operational here,” he said.

If such operations are launched in Bengaluru city without permission, appropriate action will be taken, he added.

Representatives of Ola cabs and ZipGo did not respond.