Starting Friday, ride-sharing and pooling services Ola Share and UberPool will not be available to users of Ola and Uber apps in the State. On Monday, both cab aggregator companies agreed to halt ride-sharing services as the Transport Department termed these services illegal.

However, the good news for thousands of commuters who swear by the service is that, the wait for these services to resume might be a short one. “We are not against ride-sharing as it is beneficial to the environment and reduces the number of cars on the road. If they submit a request asking for permission to ply, we will recommend that ride-sharing be allowed to the State government,” said Transport Commissioner MK Aiyappa.

Currently, ride-sharing cabs can be booked by the Transport Department for violation of the contract carriage conditions which only allow for passengers to be picked up from one point and dropped to a specific point. But under the Karnataka Motor Vehicles Rules, the permit conditions can be modified in public interest. This is most likely the method by which ride-share services will be made legal in the coming weeks.

Till the time this happens, however, the Transport Department will crackdown on ride-sharing cabs. “The companies have asked us for three days time to modify their software. If they do not comply, we will have to take action against them,” Aiyappa said. According to senior officials, the vehicles can be detained for permit violations.

Once the representation is given by the companies, the Transport Department will recommend modification of permit conditions to allow ride-sharing cabs. With the approval of the State government, an order can be issued in a relatively short time and is not a long process, officials said.