A protest by drivers against app-based taxi aggregator turned tense after two drivers attempted to kill themselves at Murugeshpalya on Thursday.
One, Madhu, tried to hang himself during the protest, but was stopped by his colleagues.
The second driver, Mohan Babu, consumed pesticide and is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of private hospital.
Drivers had gathered at the headquarters of Ola, a taxi aggregator, to demand a fixed rate, rather than the discounted rates being offered. They claim that the discounted rates had reduced their commission per trip.
Mr. Babu’s friends, who had gathered at the hospital, claimed that he had been working for the company for the past one-and-a-half years, and was slipping into depression as he ‘felt cheated’.
Kiran Gowda, a driver, said, “He used to work as a driver for an MNC. He had joined Ola after the company had enticed us by saying that we could earn as much as ₹1 lakh a month. But now, we make lesser than ₹10,000.”
Ravi Kumar, another driver, said the pressure on the drivers has increased drastically. Earlier, they had to do 12 trips to earn an incentive; now, it is 20 trips. “How can we manage this given the traffic conditions in the city?”
The drivers added that their liabilities had mounted after joining the company. They had taken loans or mortgaged property to buy cars, but were allegedly forced to use the cars bought by the aggregators. “We have to pay a rental of ₹1,050 on these cars. At the same time, we have to service the loans on our own cars,” Mr. Kumar explained.
Ola could not be reached for their comment on these claims and related issued.
