Ola Uber strike highlights: Drivers' one-day strike disrupt services, warns of more protests

Ola, Uber, Rapido strike highlights: Drivers associated with mobile app-based taxi services from various parts of India stage a protest at Jantar Mantar against proposed transport policies, in New Delhi.

Ola, Uber, Rapido strike highlights: Amid the day-long Services of the app-based taxis, Ola, Uber and Rapido, remain affected in view of the day-long nationwide ‘All India Breakdown’ call. Several labour unions are demanding minimum base fare, among other things and the strike, according to some reports, will last for six hours.

The strike was called by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), along with other national labour bodies, and drivers will switch off their ride-hailing apps simultaneously. Delivery services by Porter app are going to be affected as part of the strike.

In a letter to Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, the labour group flagged what it described as “long-pending and unresolved issues” faced by app-based transport workers across the country.

What has the union said?

The union said that since there are no government-fixed fare systems for riders working for Ola, Uber, Rapido, Porter and other aggregator platforms operating autos, cabs and bike taxis, companies decide fares on their own.

“App-based transport workers across India will observe an All India Breakdown on 7 Feb 26. No minimum fares. No regulation. Endless exploitation,” TGPWU wrote on X.

The unions also flagged the failure of the Central and State Governments to notify minimum base fares under the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025. Despite the existence of these guidelines, aggregator companies continue to unilaterally fix fares, pushing workers into unsustainable working conditions and forcing longer working hours for declining earnings.

Shaik Salauddin, Founder President of TGPWU and Co-Founder and National General Secretary of IFAT, said that the absence of government-notified base fares has allowed platform companies to arbitrarily lower prices while transferring all operational risks to workers.

"The Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, clearly mandate consultation with recognised worker unions before fare fixation. However, governments have failed to act, enabling platforms to deepen exploitation," Salauddin said.

How were the commuters impacted?

The protest affected commuters to some extent as most of the cabs and rickshaws linked to aggregator apps remained off the roads.

Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha (MKS), a union that had given the strike call, claimed the protest was "successful" as most of the drivers "spontaneously" participated in the strike in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad and other regions in the state.

MKS's head, Keshav Kshirsagar, told PTI that seventy to eighty per cent app-based taxis and autorickshaws stayed off the roads, affecting passenger services in the state. He also said that a significant reduction was seen in traffic snarls on the roads as well.

Which cities were impacted the most?

Cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Nashik were affected due to the Ola, Uber strike as the reliance of app-based taxi services is considerably higher there.

Union warns of bigger strike

The National Driver Morcha Samiti on Saturday warned of a bigger nationwide protest on March 22 and 23, if their demands are not met. “If the government does not listen to us, we will hold a big nationwide protest on the 22nd and 23rd of March,” they said.

“Almost 6300 organisations of the country will take part in it... We want the government to include union leaders representing drivers in policy development,” Sumer Ambawata of National Driver Morcha Samiti told ANI.