According to a media report, the Karnataka State Transport Authority has revoked the suspension order on cab aggregator Ola after it agreed to pay a fine of Rs. 15 lakh.

Last week, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) had suspended Ola's license to operate in Bangalore for 6 months after it was found that the company was operating bike taxi services in the city, which was in violation of aggregators license. A fine of Rs. 15 lakh was levied against the company.

According to the transport commissioner, Ola has agreed to pay the fine and has withdrawn bike taxi services. Ola has also promised to comply with the regulations.

Source: Economic Times

Five Maruti Suzuki officials have been chargesheeted for the Maruti Ritz fire that claimed two lives in Bangalore last year.

Eight technicians of Kalyani Motors service station in Kundalahalli, where the car was last serviced, have also been named in the chargesheet. All 13 accused have been booked under IPC Section 304 A for causing death due to negligence. 

The chargesheet states that the fire was caused by a short circuit in the faulty power window. The plastic door panel then caught fire, which then spread to the engine, circuit box, control unit, relays, fuse box, battery and gutted the windows. The forensic report suggests that the hand brake was on and the front portion of the vehicle was burnt the most. The Ritz was manufactured in 2010 and according to the chargesheet, the five Maruti Suzuki officials didn't take sufficient safety measures regarding the spares and the power window leading to a fire 8 years later. 

On February 2, 2018, Neha Verma and her child were seen driving the car into the basement parking lot. Hearing a blast, the security guards rushed to the spot to find the car ablaze.

The husband of the deceased had filed a complaint with the police alleging negligence by the staff of the service station, which resulted in the fire. 

Source: Economic Times

Around 300 cars were gutted in a fire that broke out at a parking lot near the Aero India Show venue in Bangalore. 

People who had come to witness the show had parked their vehicles in an open field near the Yelahanka Air Base. The flight display was halted when smoke was seen billowing from the makeshift parking lot. 10 fire engines were dispatched to the scene to control the blaze. 

While the cause of the fire is not yet known, high winds and dry grass is believed to have aided the fire. 

In response to the incident, Toyota has reached out to its customers to assist with insurance claims. The carmaker will provide on-site assistance through their insurance arm. It will also arrange for a conference call with the dealer's customer relations to coordinate with insurance inspection or to provide towing assistance.

Owners of affected cars can contact the Toyota Customer Assistance Centre on 180042500001 or 08066293001.

Source: Hindustan Times

A gang of thieves have reportedly broken into multiple cars in Bangalore and have stolen airbags. They seem to be targeting Toyota cars and are also stealing air-conditioner controllers and other accessories from the vehicles.

According to a media report, a Toyota Innova parked in front of the owner's house was targeted last week. The thieves broke the front seat windows to get into the car and stole accessories worth Rs. 3 lakh. These included both front airbags, audio system, air-conditioner controllers, sunglass holder among others. 

It is also reported that three other cars were targeted in a similar fashion in the area. The culprits removed the components in a way that only professionals who are familiar with the assemblies would. This suggests that they could be experienced mechanics.

An Innova Crysta parked nearby was also ransacked in a similar manner. However, in this case, the audio system was left untouched.

The local police have reviewed CCTV footage from the area but are yet to identify the culprits. They suspect that the thieves could be selling the stolen parts to accessory stores. The investigation is still ongoing.

Source: Bangalore Mirror

Transport department officials in Karnataka are cracking down on private car owners who ferry passengers using carpooling apps. Vehicle owners using such apps for commercial gains are being booked and their vehicles are being impounded.

Officials impounded a Telangana registered Hyundai i20 for flouting various rules, including using a private car for commercial purpose and lapse of insurance. The owner had posted his vehicle details on a mobile app offering share rides. Transport officials posing as passengers used an app to book a ride on this vehicle for Rs. 1,600 and decided on a pick-up point, where the owner was questioned and booked. The owner was also charged with a fine of Rs. 2,000 by the court. Private cars offering share rides from Bangalore to Chennai and Hassan were also booked.

Transport officials claim that the concept of carpooling is being misused. There is no harm in people travelling in a group and sharing fuel costs, but carpooling for commercial gains is in violation of the rules. They also claim that in the event of an accident, the passengers are not entitled to compensation if they are travelling in a private car as they are not covered by the vehicle's insurance. 

Source: The Hindu

Thanks to BHPian smartcat for sharing this with fellow enthusiasts.

As part of a campaign by the Halasuru Gate traffic police, mace-wielding Yamraj, the God of Death, was seen stopping motorists in Bengaluru. Veeresh, a theatre artist, played the part and stopped motorists who were violating traffic rules.

Yamraj was on a mission to promote road safety and stopped those who were riding without helmets or driving recklessly. He warned a few motorists saying that he would visit their homes if they continued to violate rules. In a few cases, he even rode pillion on the motorbikes.

The traffic police, to help create awareness on the importance of following traffic safety rules, conducted this campaign. They were also seen handing out roses to violators. The campaign also included street plays and lectures in schools and colleges organised by the traffic police. July is being observed as a road safety month.

This year, a total of 2,336 accidents have been reported in Bengaluru by the end of June. Of these, 330 are said to be fatal.

Source: NDTV

The 16th International Jawa Day celebrations will be held in Bangalore on July 8, 2018.

The Bangalore Jawa Yezdi Motorcycle Club (BJYMC) has been organizing the event since 2007. This year, it will be held at the St. Joseph's Indian High School Grounds. About 500 bikes and over 1,000 participants are expected to attend the event. 

It is claimed to be the largest gathering of Jawa, Yezdi and CZ bikes that have long gone out of production. The main highlight will be classic models like the 50cc Colt, 125cc Perak and the 350cc twins. Auto journalist Adil Jal Darukhanawala and Chennai racers Sohail Sarooshi, Ashok Krishnan and Ravi Thirumalai have been invited as special guests.

The International Jawa Yezdi Day is celebrated all over the world every year on the second Sunday of July.

BMW India has partnered with the Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore to offer mobility at the VIP terminal. All the VVIP, VIP, and CIP passengers will now be chauffeured from the aircraft to the terminal in BMW cars.

BMW vehicles were handed over to Mr. Javed Malik, Chief Operating Officer, Bengaluru International Airport Limited by Mr. Rene Gerhard, Director, Sales, BMW Group India. While BMW hasn't yet mentioned the specific models that will be put into service at the airport, the official images shared by BMW indicate that the 3 Series Gran Turismo will be part of the fleet.

Bangalore Airport is one of the fastest growing airports in the country. It services over 80,000 passengers per day.

The Bangalore traffic police have announced that they will be cracking down on riders wearing non-ISI helmets from February 1, 2018 onwards. According to the police, riders with imported helmets certified by the US Department of Transport (DoT) or Europe's Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) will also be penalized.

In a reply to a tweet, the Bangalore traffic police clarified that helmets that meet global standards can be used, however R Hitendra - Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) later told the media that imported helmets without an ISI mark would not be accepted. 

In a recent development, the Bangalore top-cop has confirmed that a letter will be sent to the transport department seeking further clarification about non-ISI helmets, especially the imported ones that are supposedly tested to better standards than the ones laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). He has also said that the Bangalore Traffic Police will not implement the new rule until the transport department responds to their query.

Source: Times of India

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is currently mulling over its plans to start pod taxis in the city. The corporation has even decided six stretches where the pod taxi concept can be implemented, totalling to a coverage area of up to 35.5 km.

Pod taxis are a part of the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system, which provides on-demand, origin to destination transportation. The concept features automated cable cars that run on a network of dedicated guide ways. They are designed to carry a small group of passengers for small distances. Bangalore's civic body has planned that this network will be powered by solar energy and will have a cumulative carrying capacity of 15,000 people per hour.

BBMP will soon float an expression of interest to companies in order to receive proposals for the said project. This information was revealed by the municipal commissioner of the city - Mr. N Manjunath Prasad. Additionally, the project is said to adopt a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) model, which will help in avoiding any public expenditure.

The civic body is planning to implement its pod taxi project in a phased manner. The following are the different phases that have been conceptualised at the moment:

• Phase 1 - MG Road Metro Station to The Leela Palace junction - 4 km

• Phase 2 - The Leela Palace to Marathahalli junction - 6 km

• Phase 3 - Marathahalli junction to EPIP, Whitefield - 6.5 km

• Phase 4 - M.G. Road Metro Station to Koramangala - 7 km

• Phase 5 - Jayanagar 4th Block to JP Nagar 6th phase - 5.3 km

• Phase 6 - Sony Junction to Indiranagar Metro Station - 6.7 km

Source: ET