Cab shortage in Bengaluru? Why you are seeing fewer Ola, Ubers on the road

Wondering why Uber and Ola rides get repeatedly cancelled or why you have to wait longer for rides to get accepted by drivers? This is because the number of cabs running on the streets of Bengaluru have more than halved from pre-COVID times.

Updated on: May 3, 2022, 16:48:38 IST

By Yamini C S

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As more and more people shift to working from office, demand for the two biggest ride-hailing apps in Bengaluru, Ola and Uber, is growing everyday. However employees are finding it harder and harder to secure a ride in the first try.

India's biggest ride hailing apps Uber and Ola are facing a serious shortage in cabs that are now hitting its users too. (Reuters File Photo)

Tanveer Pasha, the president of Ola and Uber drivers’ association in Bengaluru, told The Indian Express that only around 30,000 cabs are on the roads today as compared to the 1 lakh-odd cabs that were in the city during the pre-COVID times.

A user took to Twitter to express frustration and wrote, "@Olacabs @Uber din ka kitna kama leta ho cab ride cancel karkey? Is the new question people are asking prospective eligible bachelors driving cabs for a living in Bengaluru. #ubercancelculture #woke #mujhegharjanahai #nahibateyagadroplocation"

According to Pasha, over half the cabbies that worked for the ride hailing apps in the city went to their hometowns in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and haven't come back due to the high commissions they have to pay the aggregators per ride. This commission reportedly is about 30%. Combined with the soaring fuel prices, drivers are preferring not to come back to the city.

Bengaluru's cost of living is also on the rise with inflation. Many cab drivers have therefore sold off their cars because they are unable to pay the EMIs, Pasha said. Cabbies from various cities like Kolkata, New Delhi, Noida, Hyderabad and Bengaluru decided to start adopting a ‘no AC’ policy to save fuel.

Cab drivers demanded extra fare from passengers to turn on the AC in the blistering heat of last month even though they booked a ‘prime’ ride. Uber then went ahead and raised ride fares in the silicon valley by 10% to help their drivers, while Ola was also contemplating the same.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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