11 March,2017 08:30 AM IST | | Shashank Rao
Following Friday's strike, driver partners of Uber and Ola will petition the Maharashtra state government; say they are developing their own app, called S3
Drivers protested outside the office of Ola at Chakala yesterday. Pic/Sneha Kharabe
The first-ever strike called by the drivers of Ola and Uber has taken a surprise turn - the angry cabbies now threaten to quit the companies altogether and float their own app.
Legally, this shouldn't be a problem, as the Maharashtra City Taxi Rules, 2017, allows new companies to be introduced under the App-Based City Taxi Permit.
The Uber and Ola drivers protesting yesterday complained that their incentives had been slashed and they were fined heavily even when they were not at fault. Pic/Nimesh Dave
"We have already created a basic skeleton of the app, named S3, and it is similar to the apps operated by Uber and Ola. We had first proposed it in September 2016, but now we will take it forward and inform the state government of it in the coming week," Praful Shinde, a member of the Action Committee of Maharashtra against Ola and Uber.
SOS button, printed bill
The app will have an SOS button for the safety of women commuters, as well as a provision for printing bills at the end of the journey. "We are yet to launch it, but will mention this in our letter to the Chief Minister and the Transport department," added Shinde.
mid-day had reported in its afternoon edition yesterday that the protestors were upset with the companies for arbitrarily making changes in their policy that end up costing the drivers heavily. Drivers complained that their incentives had been slashed and they were fined heavily even when they were not at fault.
Earnings have dropped
Many of the drivers had taken out huge loans to pay for their cars, and while they were initially making as much a Rs 70,000 a month, now their earnings have dropped down to less than a third of that. They blame this on increased competition, as the app companies are adding new cars to the fleet every day.
Protestors in trouble?
The ACM claims that around 80 per cent cabs operating under the apps in Mumbai went off road, a fact that could get the protestors in trouble. "There was no intimation given to us by these drivers of them going on strike. Now that new rules are in place, we have to see what provisions there are for taking action in such a case," said Transport Commissioner Praveen Gedam.
Ola and Uber have been resisting the new taxi rules that have imposed additional costs. For instance, permits for vehicles with over 1,400CC will be priced at Rs 2.61 lakh, while vehicles from 960CC-1,400CC will receive permits for Rs 25,000. There is also a separate four-member committee that is determining the minimum and maximum tariffs for these app-based aggregators, as well as black-and-yellow taxis and auto rickshaws.
