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Consumers of Uber and Ola were forced to either use their own vehicles or take public transport on Monday as the drivers of the two cab hailing services went on strike. The services were worst-hit in Mumbai, primarily due to support from local politicians.
The protesting drivers claim that their earnings have come down significantly due to lower incentives, higher penalties and commissions. The increase in the number of cars in the network has also reduced their income.
“I used to get over 10-12 bookings a day and make about ₹100-500 extra per ride till about six months ago. Now the number of rides I get have gone down by 50 per cent,” said Taufique Khan, a driver in Mumbai.
‘Strike to continue’
President of Maharashtra Navnirman Vahtuk Sena (MNS) Sanjay Naik told BusinessLine that the indefinite strike called by Ola and Uber drivers will continue on Tuesday. The drivers will remain offline, he said, adding that a meeting with Ola and Uber management is likely to happen over the next two days.
“Today about 99 per cent of Ola and Uber taxi drives were on strike. Taxis owned by Ola and Uber companies were plying. The strike has received good response from other cities such as Aurangabad, Pune, Bengaluru and New Delhi,” Naik said.
Naik said that drivers who bought cars for operating under Ola and Uber were given an impression that they were partners in the companies. “But the drivers have not been provided with any partnership deeds. These people are have been cheated,’ he said.
Official reaction
Uber and Ola dismissed the impact on services stating that only a small group of individuals were taking part in the strike. “We regret the disruption caused to our rider and driver community by a small group of individuals. We remain committed to serving the city, ensuring driver partners can continue to access stable earning opportunities, while giving riders a convenient option to get around their city,” said a statement from Uber.
“We have been informed by the Mumbai Police that they have pro-actively taken all the necessary steps to ensure the safety of commuters during their cab rides in the city,” said Ola’s spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court has issued an injunction prohibiting unions, their leaders and anybody else from obstructing the activities of driver partners. “We have been listening to our driver partners all along and are committed to ensuring that Uber remains an attractive entrepreneurial opportunity for them. While the authorities have taken steps to ensure minimal disruption to our rider and driver communities, we hope that they will continue to enforce the order passed by the High Court,” Uber said.
In a statement issued by Ola, Santosh Yadav, a cab driver in Mumbai said, “I am totally against this strike, as this is being conducted by a small group of drivers. In fact, majority of them are blacklisted drivers, removed by the app taxi companies for misconduct against customers.”
Local taxis gain
The big beneficiary of the strike was the local taxi service, popularly known as kaali-peeli for the yellow and black coloured vehicles, as commuters wanting to avoid the crowded trains and buses had no option but to rely on them.
“I was forced to take ride on a kaali peeli taxi from Worli to Churchgate but there was no AC unlike an Uber cab,” said Prachi Desai, a bank executive in Mumbai.
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