Mumbai: Uber And Ola Strike Cripples City, Enters Second Day

Following a call to go ‘offline’, very few Ola and Uber cabs could be seen on Mumbai’s streets since the last two days, after the drivers of these app-based taxi aggregators began their indefinite strike on Sunday (18 March) midnight, Economic Times has reported.

Both Ola and Uber drivers affiliated to the Maharashtra Navnirman Vahatuk Sena (MNVS), which is Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s transport union, are participating in the strike. It has been supported by several other unions as well. The drivers want the aggregators to ensure they get the assured income of Rs 1 lakh every month.

“The biggest issue all the drivers complain about is how we were promised that we would get a minimum of Rs 1 lakh a month and now we just about make Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 at the most — this is a cause of concern for us, but strikes are pointless,” a driver associated with Uber in Bengaluru said.

There are around 50,000 app-based cabs that operate in Mumbai Metropolitan Region; the union claims the figure is 1.10 lakh. Of these, Ola and Uber collectively own approximately 10,000 vehicles.

Commuters complained that the Ola and Uber apps are showing very few cabs available compared to other days, so there’s also a huge delay in the cabs’ arrival time once the booking is done. The fares are also very high in comparison.

As a result, the demand for black-and-yellow taxis has been high, and not everyone is managing to get taxis with many Mumbaikars struggling to reach their offices in the morning.

Meanwhile, the unions have circulated messages on social media asking the drivers to stay off roads and support the strike.

“We expect the cab companies to come to the table and discuss with the government how they can come at par with the black and yellow taxis, and other public modes of transport,” Sanjay Naik, MNVS president said.