Transport and cab operators in Pune likely to hike charges following fuel price rise
Pune: Transporters and cab operators of Pune have warned of an imminent increase in charges and fares following steep rise in fuel prices across the country
Pune: Transporters and cab operators of Pune have warned of an imminent increase in charges and fares following steep rise in fuel prices across the country. Meanwhile, delivery executives working with food delivery platforms Zomato and Swiggy also expressed their fears of spending more money on fuel.
Petrol price in Pune touched ₹91.47 a litre while diesel sold at ₹80.58 on Monday. The last peak in petrol price rise was witnessed in 2013 when the fuel was sold at ₹93 per litre.
Avdoot Shinde, working with Swiggy, said, “Our commission per delivery is between ₹10 and ₹15 and it is based on drop location. With the price rise, we will have to spend more from our pockets.” he said.
Zomato executive Shakeel Saudagar said, “I earn between ₹200 and ₹250 in a day and the hike in fuel price has forced me to spend around ₹80 on travel. So, even a difference of twenty rupees is going to make my life difficult.”
Yashwant Jadhav, who works as a delivery agent for Hotel India in Kondhwa said, “I earn around ₹500 in a day and do double duty — food delivery in the mornings, late evenings and sometimes at night. The commission that I get per delivery is around ₹10- ₹15. The hike in fuel price has left me spend ₹50 more on travel and it is eating into my savings.”
The food delivery executives have requested a rise in commission by ₹10 to meet the travel expenses following fuel price hike.
Meanwhile, according to a Swiggy spokesperson, statements suggesting that delivery partners in Pune make ₹15 per order is inaccurate.
“Most active delivery partners in Pune make close to ₹50 per order, with the highest performing partners making up to ₹100 per order. No active Swiggy delivery partner in the city makes only ₹15 per order on an average. The service fee per order is based on multiple factors to adequately compensate our partners, including distance travelled, waiting time, customer experience, shift completion and incentives. We understand the efforts put in by our delivery partners in making Swiggy accessible to consumers and maintain an honest approach in enabling a sustainable service fee,” the spokesperson said.
Ali Daruwala, national spokesperson, All India Petrol Dealers Association, said, “This is the highest rise in fuel price since 2013 when petrol was priced at ₹93 per litre. As far as the hike is concerned, a group of central ministers are looking into the issue.”
Baba Shinde, president, Maharashtra state goods and passengers transport association, claimed that he had written to Union minister of surface transport Nitin Gadkari seeking immediate rollback of fuel prices.
“The transport industry has suffered a major setback during the Covid lockdown. Transporters are caught between fuel price hike and excise duty. We are being forced to increase freight rates and commoners will have to bear the burden of this unjust rise in fuel prices,” he said.
Shinde, who is also the director of All India Motor Transport Congress that handles cab services department, said, “Cab operators are also planning to increase fares by 30 per cent to make up for the rising fuel cost expenditure.”