Mumbai auto, cab unions oppose bike-sharing taxis

Mumbai: In a meeting between the Bike-Sharing Taxi Committee and members from auto and taxi unions, the latter vehemently opposed the presence of bike aggregators and claimed that it has drastically impacted their revenues

Mumbai: In a meeting between the Bike-Sharing Taxi Committee and members from auto and taxi unions, the latter vehemently opposed the presence of bike aggregators and claimed that it has drastically impacted their revenues.

Taxi unions have also asked all drivers to complete the calibration at the earliest. “We have shared information that tariff cards will not be permissible with all drivers associated with the union,” said AL Quadros, general secretary, Mumbai Taximen’s Union. (HT PHOTO) (HT_PRINT)

“Owing to opening up permits for auto-rickshaws and the Covid-19 pandemic, running the auto rickshaws is no longer lucrative for survival. If we compare the earnings from 2017 then it has dropped by nearly 30%,” said Shashank Rao, president of Auto Rickshaw Chalak Malak Sanghatana Sanyukt Kruti Samiti Maharashtra.

The unions claimed that the purchasing capacity of these permit holders has dropped over the years. “And with bike-sharing taxis, it had a further impact on the auto and taxi drivers. We have raised our objections on resuming this bike sharing taxis,” said Thampy Kurien, auto-rickshaw union leader.

Recently these bike-sharing taxis have been deemed illegal. The bike-sharing operators claim that this has adversely impacted the livelihoods and opportunities of bike captains. And that it has deprived citizens of availing cheap and efficient modes of local transport as last-mile connectivity.