The Sunday commute for the city turned out to be bumpy, with a section of Ola and Uber drivers going on strike from Saturday night, and a six-hour megablock on the Central Railway (CR) line.
The drivers, who have been in a deadlock with the companies over several demands, started going off the roads from 11 p.m. on Saturday. The strike, headed by the Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh and the Marathi Kamgar Sena (MKS), is expected to resume in full force on Monday.
MKS president Mahesh Jadhav said that over 70% of the drivers stayed off the roads on Sunday. “There were no agitations or untoward incidents. The drivers simply did not report for work,” he said.
The partial strike led to surge pricing and longer waiting time. The prices reached up to more than twice the normal fares during peak hours, and cabs were scarce.
“It’s a matter of around 70,000 drivers and their families. The government should come up with new guidelines. The drivers, who were promised up to ₹1.25 lakh per month are only earning ₹40,000 and are unable to pay back the EMIs on their cars,” Mr. Jadhav said.
In a statement released on Sunday, an Uber spokesperson said, “Uber recognises the continuing strike in Mumbai has caused destitution to its riders and driver partners, most of who want to drive, but have been intimidated by instances of violence. Uber is exploring all possible outcomes to reinstate services and best support our driver partners.We have also engaged with relevant stakeholders to solve the deadlock.”
Meanwhile, train commute on the central line suffered because of a megablock imposed between Kalyan and Dombivli for the dismantling of the Patripool bridge in Kalyan, leading to delays in train services till late afternoon.
The 104-year-old bridge, which used to connect the east and west sections of Kalyan, was dismantled by a team of around 300 railway personnel consisting of engineers, workers and RPF staff. The CR ran 178 special local services between Kasarat Karjat, Khopoli, Kalyan and between Dombivli and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, while special bus services were also offered by the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation and the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation to compensate for the lack of trains between Kalyan and Dombivli.
CR officials said that the dismantling work was completed an hour before schedule and the megablock, which was supposed to be in effect from 9.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m., was called off at 2.30 p.m., and the first express train was run at 2.50 p.m. on Sunday, while the first local train was run at 3 p.m.
