With most of the leaders of the protesting auto-rickshaw unions arrested by the police and the indefinite strike left headless, many auto drivers decided to resume services on Wednesday.
Ramesh Nalawade, an auto driver from the Swargate area, said, “I resumed auto services Wednesday as there is no one to guide us and if we go to the Regional Transport Office (RTO) chowk to protest, the police will arrest us. Our union leaders have been arrested and only when they come out on bail will we decide our further plans.” Indeed, a majority of auto drivers were seen going about their business as usual on Wednesday in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, much to the relief of the citizens.
Initially, auto-rickshaws stayed off the roads for a couple of days since calling the indefinite strike but this created severe problems for officegoers and passengers landing at the airport, Pune railway station and Swargate depot.
A committee member of one of the auto unions on condition of anonymity said, “Our strike against illegal bike-taxis is right and we will fight for our rights till the end but there were also some mistakes committed during the strike. Blocking the roads was not right; some auto unions were against it but it still happened and later, the police arrested our people.”
Meanwhile, bike-taxi provider Rapido cleared its stand and said that the company will continue its bike-taxi services; 57,000 bike-taxi riders will work as per the rules and regulations; and that the Rapido mobile application will not be shut down since the company’s application for license is pending with the state transport department.
A statement issued by Rapido read, “The ongoing agitation by the auto-rickshaw unions in Pune is causing great inconvenience to the commuters of Pune, and the hardworking captains at Rapido. The demand by the unions to stop bike-taxi services in Pune is putting a question mark on the livelihood of 57,000 Rapido captains and their families in Pune. Given the current scenario, the impact of such strikes can have a far-reaching economic effect on a large section of the people in Pune. The citizens of Pune deserve a reliable, timely and cost-effective mode of transportation, and Rapido fulfils that purpose. If pushed into suspending services, Punekars will lose an option and will be at the mercy of the existing public transport infrastructure which is bursting at the seams.”
{{/usCountry}}A statement issued by Rapido read, “The ongoing agitation by the auto-rickshaw unions in Pune is causing great inconvenience to the commuters of Pune, and the hardworking captains at Rapido. The demand by the unions to stop bike-taxi services in Pune is putting a question mark on the livelihood of 57,000 Rapido captains and their families in Pune. Given the current scenario, the impact of such strikes can have a far-reaching economic effect on a large section of the people in Pune. The citizens of Pune deserve a reliable, timely and cost-effective mode of transportation, and Rapido fulfils that purpose. If pushed into suspending services, Punekars will lose an option and will be at the mercy of the existing public transport infrastructure which is bursting at the seams.”
{{/usCountry}}“Rapido is a law-abiding corporate and continues to operate within the framework of applicable laws. By the ruling of the hon’ble high court of Bombay, dated March 7, 2022, an aggregator which has applied for a license on or before March 16, 2022 can continue to operate in the state of Maharashtra. This ruling will continue until such time that the appropriate license has been granted. Furthermore, on April 21, 2022, the hon’ble Supreme Court of India directed for the status quo to be maintained since Rapido’s application is pending consideration before the Mumbai and Pune RTA. In the order dated November 29, 2022, the hon’ble high court of Bombay has asked for the Pune RTA to reconsider Rapido’s application,” the statement further read.