Getting an Ola or Uber might get difficult from today in major cities as drivers have decided to go on an indefinite strike. The strike has been called by the transport wing of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in Mumbai. Drivers from New Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune and other big cities have also joined in.
Their demands
“Ola and Uber had given big assurances to the drivers, but today they are unable to cover their costs. They have invested Rs 5-7 lakh and were expecting to make Rs. 1.5 lakh a month. But drivers are unable to make even half of this because of the mismanagement by these companies,” Sanjay Naik of Maharashtra Navnirman Vahatuk Sena told PTI, reported NDTV.
Their other demands include deciding fares according to the cost of the vehicle, stopping low fare bookings, reinstating blacklisted drivers who have been given low ratings by passengers, etc.
Drivers from Bengaluru, who previously decided to go on strike along with the other protesting drivers, decided against it. Tanveer Pasha, president of Uber, TaxiForSure and Ola (UTO) drivers and owners association, said, “Our drivers are struggling due to low wages so we can’t afford to go without work even for a day. There was no response from cab aggregators or the government after our last year’s protest,” as reported by The Times of India.
When The Logical Indian tried to get in touch with the cab aggregators, the Ola spokesperson said, “We have been informed by the Mumbai Police that they have proactively taken all the necessary steps to ensure the safety of commuters during their cab rides in the city.”