MUMBAI: For commuters—mostly office-goers and college students—stranded due to the rail roko on CR on Tuesday morning, it was a double whammy as more than 80% Ola and
Uber cabs stayed off roads for second day in a row. Flyers too were grounded as there was a shortage of cabs at the airport.
As CR came to a halt during the morning peak hours, the crowds spilled on to roads for alternative transport modes. But they realised the ordeal was far from over as the few available aggregator cabs as well as kaali-peelis were charging almost twice the fare. There were reports of kaali-peeli drivers refusing rides. Though commuters said some kaali-peelis were available on aggregator apps.
The rush-hour load finally fell on BEST and most buses were filled to the brim. “We were glad we could at least get a BEST bus on a day,” said Kishore Ranade, an office-goer. However, a few commuters complained that the buses were inadequate and crowds could be seen at most bus stops in the island city.
BEST spokesperson Hanumant Gophane said : “We operated 115 extra buses.” BEST’s earnings went up by nearly 10 % during the morning hours.
Amit Shintre, who was travelling in a BEST bus from the eastern suburbs to Bandra, said, “In the absence of trains and cabs, many commuters brought out their private cars, adding to congestion and pollution on roads.” He said that there was a huge traffic snarl on LBS Marg. A source said that traffic jams were seen in other parts of the city like Sion and Dadar too.
The aggregator cab drivers’ indefinite strike, which is spearheaded by the MNS’s transport wing, started on Monday. Drivers said the strike will continue on Wednesday too. “Unless aggregator firm officials meet our demands, the drivers will remain offline,” said transport wing’s president Sanjay Naik.
Meanwhile, the 16 persons, including MNS union leader Nitin Nandgaonkar, who were arrested on Monday for protesting near Ola office were released on bail on Tuesday. But Nandgaonkar was arrested again for breaking the windshield of a cab on Monday morning. A source said most drivers preferred to stay off roads fearing attacks.
An Ola statement said, “Interest of our driver partners and customer convenience is of paramount importance to us. While we have seen a slight improvement in our services today, for the situation to improve, it is imperative that intimidation of driver partners and vandalism of their cars by vested interests be stopped.”
Uber’s statement said, “Over the last 24 hours, several drivers have reached out to us after they were forcefully asked to go offline by a small group of protesters. These protests impact our ability to serve the city.”
