A large number of Ola and Uber drivers stayed off the roads on Tuesday, the second day of the indefinite cab drivers’ strike.
Sunil Borkar, secretary of the Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh (MRRKS), which announced the strike on Monday, said the protest will continue until the companies negotiate with them and meet their demands. “They are refusing to talk to us one-to-one and are sending letters and talking over phone to get us to withdraw the strike,” he said.
The drivers are demanding higher fares amid soaring fuel prices, that they not be suspended based on a single complaint, and that only customers whose phone numbers are linked with Aadhaar numbers be allowed in the cabs. While union officials said around 2,500 drivers were on board with the strike, several more stayed off the roads, mostly due to fear.
Mohammad Yakub, president of the Active Committee of Maharashtra, another Ola/Uber drivers’ group, said they had received reports that drivers were being intimidated. “Most drivers are off the road because of fear. They are only going online for brief periods, completing short trips,” he said.
Commuters affected
Mumbaikars found it hard to find cabs through the day and when they did find one, faced high fares. The situation is not expected to change on Wednesday. Sri Venkatesh Mallajyosula, who had booked an Uber, said he was stopped by a group that was trying to enforce the strike. “I was going from my home to Kalina when a group stopped us near Kurla. They told the driver to ask me to get down and they would make alternate arrangements for me. It was only when I intervened did they allow me to go ahead, since my destination was only 10 minutes away. They also told the driver to avoid Bandra Kurla Complex as they had heard cars being vandalised there,” he said.
An Uber spokesperson said, “We regret the disruption caused to our rider and driver-partner community and condemn the use of violence and intimidation by certain individuals. The Hon’ble Bombay High Court has previously issued an injunction restraining unions, their leaders, members and their followers from preventing Uber driver partners from going about their work. We request the support of law enforcement to enforce the court’s order and hope that it will enable drivers to stay behind the wheel … without fear or harassment.”
Ola refused to comment on the issue.
