Pune commuters left stranded as Ola, Uber go on strike

The drivers are demanding a change in the minimum base fare depending on the type of car and a change in the per kilometre fare. Fuel prices in India have risen more than 20 per cent since the start of the year, but drivers say fares have not grown at the same rate, making it difficult for them to meet expenses despite working longer hours

A two-day strike, which started on Tuesday, called by drivers of app-based cab aggregators, Ola and Uber, left the commuters stranded in the second half of the day (afternoon onwards). The number of taxis on the streets was very less on Tuesday and commuters had to pay for surge prices to get to their destination.

No cabs were seen at the Uber pickup point at Pune railway station,the first day of the strike on Tuesday called by Ola and Uber drivers in Pune. (Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo)

There are approximately 25,000 cabs attached with the app-based aggregators in the city.

Demanding a better incentive structure and safety measures, Deepak Suryawanshi, an Ola driver who joined the strike, said, “All the drivers who have taken vehicles under the company’s leasing schemes are facing many issues. The consistent change in the company policies with regards to the revenue sharing model has posed major problems to drivers of private vehicles.” Besides bearing the reduction in the daily profits, the company is also charging us while we travel to the pickup point of the customer, said the driver.

Our incomes have plunged over the past two years after Uber and Ola cut incentives to boost profitability, said one of the drivers.

Some of the worst-affected areas due to strike were the Pune railway station, Sangamwadi junction and Hinjewadi where people avail cab services in large numbers, said one of the Uber drivers.

While Ola has refused to comment on the issue, Uber, whose drivers also participated in the strike, in a statement issued, said, “We regret the disruption caused to our rider and driver-partner community in some parts of Pune at certain points during the day due to a small group of individuals.”

Riya Kalwani, a resident of Kothrud who was at the railway station waiting for an Uber, said, “The average time of cab arrival is five minutes here. However, today I have been waiting for over half an hour and cabs have still not arrived. Also, the fares have nearly doubled owing to the strike.”

Aman Belsare, a resident of Vishrantwadi, said, “It took me one hour to book an Ola cab as I wanted to go to my workplace in Kothrud. We are so habitual to the easy accessibility of Ola and Uber cabs, it gets very difficult to manage during these days when a strike is in place.”

The drivers are demanding a change in the minimum base fare depending on the type of car and a change in the per kilometre fare. Fuel prices in India have risen more than 20 per cent since the start of the year, but drivers say fares have not grown at the same rate, making it difficult for them to meet expenses despite working longer hours.