Taxi aggregators Ola and Uber may have claimed to help drivers attached to them during the lockdown, but the drivers themselves say they are struggling with basic rations. Many claim they are forced to look for cooked meals being distributed across the city.
“The situation of drivers is worsening every day and despite the assertions made by the two companies, the aid on the ground is barely noticeable,” said Shaik Salauddin, national general secretary, Indian Federation of App Based Transport Workers (IFAT). Mr. Salauddin said both companies had provided aid but in very different ways; neither did they fulfil the drivers’ needs nor was the coverage broad enough to reach everyone, he said.
Uber has only paid ₹3,000 to each driver, without expectation of return, unlike Ola, he said. “They [Ola] are providing ₹500 or ₹750, or in some cases, ₹1,200 on a weekly basis to a select few. We are yet to understand the selection criteria. What’s worse is that they will need to pay this money back and it’s not even a straightforward aid to the drivers in need,” he said. Mr. Salauddin said the companies should provide an interest-free loan of ₹21,000 to help drivers tide over this distressing time.
Prashant Sawardekar from IFAT said they had received cases of drivers who had been removed by both companies from the platform during the lockdown. “Ola is also distributing rations, but barely 5% of drivers we know in Mumbai have got them,” he said. “Even this ₹500 is too little as many don’t have ration cards and often have to buy LPG or kerosene in the black market. Drivers are being reduced to beggars in the city,” he said. There are over 50,000 drivers across the city, many of whom were migrants and do not have a ration card, Mr. Sawardekar said.
The situation of autorickshaw drivers is equally bad with the drivers continuing to get little or no business for over a month. “The situation has been worsening for everyone. While food remains the biggest issue, auto drivers are living in very cramped settlements as drivers working in two shifts typically share a flat. They have been forced to park their vehicles on the road and are now at the mercy of the parking mafia, who continue to collect fees even under such circumstances,” said Thampi Kurien, leader of the Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union.
There needs to be an early resolution to their troubles as autorickshaw drivers are desperate, and many wanting to go home, he said. “We saw what happened in Bandra. Many of the drivers are migrants and I hope the government steps in before they take some drastic steps.”
