Bengaluru: Taxi aggregators Ola and Uber have been given a week to sort out their differences with their driver-partners. The drivers have been protesting the companies’ commission policies for the past one month. The aggregators had hiked the commission they charge drivers from 10% to 25%.
In a round table meet on Monday of officials from the Transport Department, Ola, Uber as well as drivers, several problems being faced by the drivers were highlighted. Apart from the commission, drivers cited an increase in the minimum number of trips per day to be eligible for the daily incentive.
“They want us to complete 18 trips a day, which is impossible with the condition of Bengaluru traffic. This was introduced so that we cannot earn incentives,” alleged Srinivas, a driver who was part of the meeting. If drivers do not clock more than 18 trips, they only get their fare and lose out on the incentive.
The drivers also raised concerns like the Rs. 500 they have to pay for cancellation of trips. “We have asked the companies to respond to these issues and resolve them in one week,” said Transport Commissioner M.K. Aiyappa.
Drivers alleged that they had been asked to sign joining documents in English but were not provided a copy of the same in the local language. This was the main reason that many new drivers had agreed to the high commissions, they claimed.
While most of the issues raised by the drivers cannot be regulated by the Transport Department, officials are hoping that companies will come to the negotiating table. “We can only play the part of a facilitator, as these are issues between the company and their drivers. However, we have asked the companies to keep in mind the happiness of their own drivers,” a senior official said.
In the past one month, drivers have held several flash protests against the companies demanding better working conditions. They had recently staged protests at Freedom Park and Kempegowda International Airport against the flat rates being offered by aggregators for pick up and drop to KIA from across the city. However, services across the city were not affected as only a small percentage of drivers participated.
But the representation at Monday’s meeting was far larger. "This time if our demands are not met, we will go on an indefinite strike. Cabs will not ply at all," said Tanveer Pasha, president of the TaxiForSure, Uber Drivers’ and Owners’ Association.
An Uber spokesperson said, "We would like to reiterate that UberPOOL is clearly within the law. We will continue to engage with the Transport Department and Karnataka government as ridesharing products like uberPOOL are the future of urban mobility, helping decongest cities by getting more people into fewer cars and letting riders move around their city more affordably."
Demands of drivers
1: Roll back Rs. 500 fee for cancelling a ride
2: Reduce minimum trips per day for incentives from 18 to 10
3: Kannada translation of contract
4: Reduce commission per ride from 25%
5: Shared taxi services to be regulated
