Ola, Uber likely to stay off roads today as well

Representation picture

People from across the city faced commuting challenges on Monday as the Ola and Uber labour unions went on an indefinite strike from afternoon. More drivers are likely to join the strike today. Though most of the cabs were off roads, the few that were out were available at rates two to three times higher than usual and also after long waiting hours.

According to sources, the basic demand of the Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh is to increase earnings. Speaking to mid-day, labour union secretary, Sunil Borkar, said, "The cabs will not be back on road till our issues are resolved."

Union leaders are of the opinion that despite the hike in fuel prices, the cab aggregators reduced fares. They said that a fare of Rs 16 to Rs 22 per kilometer should be fixed so that the drivers could earn atleast Rs 3,000 each day. "I wanted to take a cab to the airport from Ghatkopar at 6 pm. At first no cabs were available on the app. Later, I found a few, but the rate was much higher than usual. When I could finally book one, the driver refused to go," said Chhaya Nikam, a passenger.

Another passenger, Ravindra Saleyu, said that he waited for a cab for nearly an hour but it didn't arrive. In a statement issued on Monday, Uber said, "We regret the disruption caused due to a small group of individuals. We are committed to serving the city and ensuring that our drive partners have a stable income, while we give riders a convenient and reliable option to move around Mumbai." However, even after repeated attempts to contact Ola, they remained unavailable.

Rs 16-22
Rate per kilometre that the labour union is demanding

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