Cab drivers in Telangana in lurch as fuel prices soar

HYDERABAD: Forty-five-year-old Premchandar Reddy, an app-based cab driver from the city, has been forced to take up odd jobs every day to sustain his livelihood. In 2014, he used to take home Rs 1,500-Rs 2,000 daily after a 12-15 hour shift. Now, his daily income is not more than Rs 500-Rs 600.

“Fuel prices have increased but our cab fares have not. We travel many kilometres to pick up a customer and get just around Rs 10/km from Ola and Uber.  Of our total earnings, 60 per cent goes for fuel and 20 per cent as commission to the companies. We also have to  pay for vehicle maintenance. In the end, nothing is left for us,” he lamented. 

Another cab driver, Thirumal Goud, 42, had taken a loan in 2016 to buy a four-wheeler. He has now gone back to his ancestral village in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district to work as a farm labourer. “I have to pay EMI of Rs 26,000 every month for the cab, which is getting impossible with the inflation,” he said.    

‘Cut commission by apps’

On Sunday, the petrol price in Hyderabad was at Rs 94. 92/litre and diesel at Rs 88.98/litre. According to the Telangana Cab Drivers Samiti (TDS), many drivers have been left unemployed or forced to do odd jobs to survive after the Covid-induced lockdown as the demand for cabs decreased.

TDS president Mukkawar Sunil said that before the lockdown, there were around 1.25 lakh app-based cab drivers in the State. In recent months, around 25,000-35,000 of them have left the profession due to financial issues. “The government is not at all worried about middle-class workers like us. If they cannot reduce the fuel price, then they should ask the companies to cut down on their commission,” he said.