Three days ago, when they announced strike, nobody would have thought that a sundry group of 7,000 drivers would be able to make over a lakh cabs disappear from the cityscape, that too for three continuous days.
The Telangana Cab Drivers and Owners Association, with support from other associations, has successfully pulled off what the seasoned unions have failed to do.
On Monday, the third day of the strike, not a cab of either Ola or Uber was visible on the apps for many. Commuters had to instead resort to auto-rickshaws, buses and other modes of transport. “After repeated attempts on Monday, I found just one cab, but that did not get booked for unknown reasons. I had opted for a package of 20 rides under Ola share and I have already foregone three days,” said M. Srinivas, from Chikkadpally.
Even when cabs were available, the fares were exorbitant. “We tried for a whole hour to book a cab from Secunderabad station to Ameerpet. We found one with the fare at Rs. 492, but it disappeared before we could confirm. The next one showed Rs. 520. We decided to book three autos instead,” said Ruma Chakraborty, visitor to the city.
Non-compliant drivers were being stopped mid-way, and made to cancel the existing trips, due to which few ventured out. “On the first day, I was stopped by other drivers. They tried to snatch my device, but I begged them not to, and switched it off myself. Since then, I have not taken the cab out,” said K. Narsimhulu, a driver from Gachibowli.
Interestingly, the striking drivers are taking leverage of the cab aggregating technology itself to make the strike effective. The members have divided themselves into 1,500 teams and each team would try to spot cabs in their areas using Ola and Uber apps. Once they found them, they would swoop in and force the driver to switch off the device.
President of the Association Shiva Vulkundakar said the Association has not received any response from the managements of either Ola or Uber cabs, and the next course of action will be decided after a meeting on Monday evening.
Two hundred drivers have been arrested and let off by the police from various locations, and 10 are still in the police custody, he said.
The Association had announced the strike since December 30 midnight with various demands, major among them, a halt on fresh recruitment of cabs, and business guarantee for existing driver-partners. The strike was the immediate response to the alleged manhandling of a driver at Ola Cabs office.
The Telangana State Cabs Association, a partner in the strike, has announced a rally and demonstration at Indira Park on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a press statement from Uber condemned the “forceful disruption” of its services by a small group of people who “have threatened drivers and damaged vehicles”. It called upon the authorities to ensure safety.
