Bengaluru: In a major crackdown against misuse of private vehicles, the transport department seized 21 white-board cars this week that were being illegally rented out through Zoomcar, a self-drive rental app. Officials said the vehicles, many of them high-end SUVs, were being run commercially without valid permits.
The operation was carried out by a six-member enforcement team led by GP Krishnananda, Regional Transport Officer (East). Officials posed as customers to identify the cars, booking them for short trips and tracing them back to their owners. Once confirmed, the vehicles were driven directly to the Kasturinagar RTO office.
When owners noticed through GPS that their vehicles had landed at the RTO premises, they called to inquire. That is when officials informed them that their cars had been seized for illegal commercial use.
Authorities revealed that Zoomcar’s rent-a-motorcab licence had expired in January last year. Despite repeated warnings from the Karnataka Transport Authority, the company allegedly continued attaching white-board cars to its platform in violation of motor vehicle rules.
“This is a clear loss to the government and totally illegal. Private vehicles cannot be used commercially without a yellow-board registration. Zoomcar still hasn’t renewed its aggregator licence,” Krishnananda told reporters.
Most of the seized vehicles belonged to software engineers, while some were registered in other states, including under the BH-series. One car was owned by a defence employee. The seized models included Baleno, Glanza, Safari, Dzire, Kia, Tata, and Hyundai.
Officials confirmed that each owner faces a penalty of ₹30,000 to ₹35,000. For out-of-state vehicles, the lifetime tax penalty is much higher — between ₹5 lakh and ₹7 lakh. Owners must clear the dues and submit an undertaking not to reattach their vehicles to the platform before the cars are released.
Previous warnings ignored
This was the transport department’s first major seizure drive against white-board vehicles in the last two years. Earlier, officials had found 15 such cars and issued warnings, but violations reportedly continued.
“We had cautioned owners around six months ago, but many ignored the notices. This time, stricter measures were necessary to curb the misuse of private registration for commercial gain,” Krishnananda said.
The department clarified that private vehicles are strictly for personal use. Anyone wishing to operate in the rental business must register with a yellow-board commercial licence. Enforcement officials also indicated that more such drives will be conducted across Bengaluru to deter violators.
With the growing trend of techies and professionals attaching personal cars to rental platforms for extra income, transport authorities are now stepping up action to ensure road safety and prevent revenue losses. The Bengaluru crackdown serves as a strong warning that private cars used for commercial rentals will not be spared.