The recent spate of strikes by drivers of app-based cab aggregator platforms, specifically Ola and Uber, has unveiled some facets of the ugly underbelly of the burgeoning market for these platforms. While most of us have been happily indulging in the low cost and convenient booking such platforms offer, we as consumers do not often think about some of the adverse implications of these models.
Buoyed by the early heady days of Ola and Uber where drivers were earning handsome amounts from the cash-rich and venture capital-funded platforms, there was a resultant deluge in the number of drivers who joined these companies as ‘partners’. In some urban settings — tier I and tier II cities — there is now an oversupply situation, and the new cars bought to join app-based cab fleets have added to the traffic woes caused by limited traffic infrastructure.
Danger ahead
Driven by targets and packages, which often change and are communicated on a daily basis, and shrinking incentives and earnings, drivers of these taxis keep increasing work hours. This becomes essential for them to be able to earn enough to pay off the costs of running the cab service — the car loan EMI, fuel costs, vehicle maintenance costs, permit fees, platform commissions, etc. Any balance left from the earning is what the drivers can retain for personal purposes, and to contribute to family expenses.
On an almost daily basis, drivers of these cabs tell me about the long working hours they keep, from early morning till late night. They speak about being exhausted, and frequently working seven days a week. This is worrisome on two counts: their own health, and implications for the safety of all taxi occupants. India already has a huge road accident burden, with upwards of 200,000 road fatalities annually. With traffic rules openly being flouted, drivers on Indian roads need to be on high alert at all times. App-based cab drivers also need to juggle incoming bookings, app instructions and directions, as well as coordination with passengers for pick-up and drop. Quite clearly, this can be mentally and physically taxing, and is only tenable for a limited number of hours every day. Exhaustion and lack of rest can lead to a drop in concentration which, even if momentary while driving, can lead to accidents. Furthermore, to try to stay alert for long hours, drivers may turn to stimulants, making them prone to addiction. In cities like Manila, pedicab drivers have taken to drugs such as methamphetamine to cope with long working hours. The stress and pressure to earn a minimum amount on a daily basis can also lead to mental health problems such as depression.
Capping work hours
Other fields of work have seen demands that there be a cap on the number of work hours, especially in professions requiring high concentration. Strict regulations apply for pilots and flight crew with flight duty time limitations requiring adherence. Another example is working hours for resident physician trainees in the field of health care, where such capping has been advocated to prevent risks to patient safety. Dr. Michael Carome, director of the Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, called sleep-deprived resident physicians a “danger to themselves, their patients and the public” in an NPR article.
As concerned citizens, and as passengers or road users who are themselves at risk of accidents caused due to errors by exhausted cab drivers, we must push for ensuring that working hours for app-based aggregator cab drivers are capped, and driver work conditions and payment terms optimised and made favourable enough to enable this. Furthermore, the drivers should receive mandatory health insurance benefits, and regular medical check-ups.
Our hunger for cheap and convenient transport options should not make us party to lives being endangered on the road. We must advocate for those who have taken on the onus of ferrying us around on our roads, and not just because their health and well-being is closely linked to our own health and safety.
Anant Bhan is a researcher in bioethics and global health, and adjunct professor, Yenepoya University, Mangaluru
