Commuters Hit Hard As Ola, Uber Drivers Protest In Mumbai

Ride-hailing services were hit across Mumbai as drivers of Ola and Uber continued their protest for the second consecutive day yesterday.

As per Hindustan Times, the cab drivers, along with gig workers across Maharashtra, staged a flash protest at the city’s Azad Maidan to demand the redressal of their demands.

The protesters reportedly demanded faster implementation of the aggregator policy for app-based taxis and pay parity with regular taxi drivers. 

The protest will likely to continue today as well.

As per the report, several gig worker unions claimed that their agitation focussed on issues such as alleged exploitation by ride-hailing platforms like Ola, Uber and Rapido as well as the government’s crackdown on illegal bike taxis among other important concerns. 

The protest was joined by members of associations such as Indian Gig Workers Platform, Maharashtra State National Workers Union-App-based Transport Unit, Mumbai Taximen Union and others. 

“The app-based aggregator drivers get INR 8 to INR 12 per km for driving an AC taxi while the base fare of kaali peelis (regular cabs) is INR 31, with a subsequent fare of INR 18 per km… We want similar fares. We have been demanding this for the last seven or eight years but nothing has happened,” Anand Kute of the Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh reportedly said.

Meanwhile, president of Maharashtra Gig Workers Platform, Keshav Nana Kshirsagar, reportedly said that the protest would continue as no consensus had been reached with the state government regarding redressal of their demands. 

Amid all this, commuters faced inconvenience as many cab drivers declined rides. As per Business Standard, passengers were forcibly asked to deboard from their cabs in Navi Mumbai as protest intensified. With fewer cabs plying on the roads, commuters had to pay surge pricing on many of the platforms. 

Alongside, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport issued a travel advisory, directing passengers to make alternate travel arrangements due to the protests. In a post on social media platform X, airport authorities advised travellers to plan their journey in advance and consider other transport options before heading to the airport.

“In light of ongoing protests in the state, passengers travelling via #MumbaiAirport are advised to check transport availability and plan alternate arrangements in advance,” read a post on Mumbai Airport’s X handle. 

Meanwhile, the state government continued its crackdown on bike taxi operators in the state. The regional transport offices (RTOs) of Mumbai, Thane, Vasai, Vashi, and Panvel registered cases against 123 bike taxis drivers operating in the region, and also seized many bikes. 

Additionally, Maharashtra transport department also said that it has initiated legal action against ride-hailing platforms illegally operating in the Mumbai metropolitan region.