Parties seek to tap discontent among auto drivers, cabbies

BENGALURU: With assembly elections nearing, political parties are increasingly wooing cab and autorickshaw drivers to garner votes.
The state has 4.28 lakh autorickshaws and 3.16 lakh cabs whose owners, drivers and their families constitute a significant vote bank. Autorickshaw and cab drivers, particularly in Bengaluru city, are now struggling to survive after the entry of app-based taxis like Ola and Uber. While many autorickshaw passengers have shifted to cabs because of low fares, earnings of cab drivers have reduced over the years.

A majority of cab drivers in the city hail from districts like Mandya, Hassan, Mysuru and Tumakuru and they got into this profession after operators Ola and Uber promised lucrative incentives. But now the same drivers are struggling to pay their EMIs due to reduced earnings.


Tanveer Pasha, former president of the Ola Taxifor-Sure Uber (OTU) Drivers and Owners' Association, who led protests by cabbies' last year, has now sought an assembly ticket from the JD(S) to contest from Shantinagar constituency.

Pasha, who was also instrumental in launching the JD(S)-backed Namma TYGR taxi app, claimed that most cab and auto drivers are backing his party. "It was our leader H D Kumaraswamy who helped launch an app for struggling cab drivers. This will help the JD(S) get the support of families of lakhs of cab and autorickshaw drivers who are in financial distress due to exploitation from multi-national companies," said Pasha. However, Namma TYGR taxi app has been offline for the past few months.

AAP has fielded an auto driver, Ayub Khan, from Shivajinagar constituency. "I have received support from various autorickshaw unions in the city. I will work for the welfare of the residents of Shivajinagar and the auto drivers' community. Many autorickshaw drivers have put up on their vehicles posters seeking votes for me and and my party," he said.

BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa recently took a ride in an autorickshaw from his residence in Dollars' Colony. He also interacted with auto drivers and assured them that a welfare board would be formed for the benefit of drivers. Yeddyurappa also promised a colony for drivers, apart from increasing the accident relief fund from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. Kumaraswamy already announced that he'd nominate an auto or a cab driver to the legislative council if elected to power.

C Sampath, general secretary of Aadarsh Autorickshaw Drivers' Union, who unsuccessfully contested as in independent candidate in 2015 BBMP elections, said: "Opposition parties like the JD(S) and BJP have already made several promises to drivers, but the Congress has not reached out to us so far. Auto drivers have been struggling because of various issues, but political parties often forget us after the elections."

Congress leaders say they will intensify campaign among drivers. They claimed that the state government has announced 25,000 new permits for autorickshaws and also fixed minimum fares for cabs to help drivers. However, drivers say these proposals are yet to be implemented.

"Both Congress and BJP haven't done anything so far for the benefit of drivers. Now, they are coming up with false promises as they are aware that a majority of the drivers are now supporting the JD(S), " said Pasha.

HIT AUTO CAMPAIGN

Popular modes of commute have been successfully used by political parties in the past as a vehicle to spread their message. In a cleverly planned election campaign in New Delhi in 2013, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) utilized autorickshaws - the most commonly used mode of transport - to build on the anti-incumbency wave. Not only were autos plastered with the party's posters, drivers too struck up conversations with passengers over the failure of the Sheila Dixit government.