Delhi Ola, Uber strike enters Day 8: Few cabs plying but commuter woes continue

The Ola and Uber drivers’ strike in Delhi and has entered its eighth day. Hundreds of drivers are on an indefinite strike since February 10 in the Delhi-NCR region to protest against “low fares” and “lack” of basic amenities.

The Ola and Uber drivers’ strike in Delhi appears to have eased slightly on Friday morning with several agitators opting to hit the roads with their cabs but commuters continue to face problems as very few cabs were available.

Commuters wait in front of cabs at Jantar Mantar even as Ola and Uber drivers refuse to ply in Delhi. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

The strike is still on and has entered the eighth day. Thousands of drivers are on an indefinite strike since February 10 in the Delhi-NCR region to protest against “low fares” and “lack” of basic amenities.

The two leaders on hunger strike were admitted at RML, in view of their deteriorating condition, on Thursday. Following this a section of drivers of the union threatened of disrupting traffic movement in some parts of the city on Friday.

The situation is still a far cry from normal as waiting time for commuters continued to be for nearly 20 minutes instead of the usual two to five minutes.

“I tried with both the services but was not able to book a cab. The apps kept saying there is some technical problem,” said Vandana Pandey, a resident of Krishna Nagar.

With very few cabs plying on the road, people were expected to pay almost twice the regular rate on Friday morning due to the high demand.

Stalemate over the cab crisis in Delhi-NCR continues as talks between the Delhi government and striking Ola and Uber drivers failed on Thursday.

The government warned of strict action against any violence and asked the protesting drivers to resolve their issues with the companies at the earliest. While transport minister Satyendar Jain didn’t meet the protestors, he deputed member of State Transport Authority (STA) Kailash Gehlot to hold the meeting.

Later, speaking to a few reporters, Jain said, “I would urge the police to take strict action against violent protestors who damaged property. This violence and vandalism on the roads cannot continue.”

Drivers are demanding an increase in fares from the existing Rs 6 per km and also want the 25% commission the app-based aggregators charge on every booking to be discontinued.

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