KOLKATA: Many commuters are set to face problems due to an app cab strike on Monday. With fewer buses on road and a section of metered cab operators extending their moral support to the strike, commuting is likely to be difficult during the rush hours. The strike has been called by app cab operators’ unions to protest against the aggregators’ high commission rate as well as the fuel price hike.
Sk Manu, secretary of the CITU-affiliated Ola Uber and App Cab Operators Union said, “We will continue with the strike for an indefinite period unless our demands are met. Around 13,000 drivers were blocked by the aggregators.”
The strike may trouble those who will have to catch trains or flights in the morning. Many office goers are likely to be inconvenienced because of a demand-supply mismatch to be created by the strike.
“It is because of the heightened commuting demand vis-a-vis fewer cabs on the road that the surge fare will prevail for a longer period,” said app cab operators.
In the last few weeks, commuters using app cabs kept facing surge in fares even during off-peak hours. There has also been a steep jump in cancellation of trips. “App cabs are now competing with the metered cabs that are so notorious for refusals,” said Mala Chakraborty, a social activist living in Jadavpur.
“The fuel price rise, tax deduction at source and high rate of commission demanded by aggregators has put the app cab operators in an unprecedented financial distress. We have raised these issues at different forums. We wrote several letters different authorities who could iron out the problems of the operators. But nothing happened. This has forced us to call the strike,” said Nawal Kishore Srivastava, convenor of the App-Cab Operators” Forum affiliated to AITUC.
The Taxi Operators’ and Drivers’ Welfare Association, metered cab operators’ organisation affiliated to AITUC, has extended their moral support to the strike. The agitation includes staging dharna in front of Paribahan Bhawan, headquarters of the transport department. They will also stage an agitation in front of one of the cab operators’ offices on Rashbehari Avenue.
The government, Srivastava said, must call all major aggregators to hold a tripartite meeting to resolve these issues that are putting both the operators and commuters into trouble. The aggregators are resorting to a steep fare rise but its benefit is not being shared with the cab operators. It is being appropriated by the aggregators like Ola and Uber.
“Many cab operators are facing dire financial constraints. The fuel price has made the operation of app cabs completely unviable. There is hardly any earning from the money we earn from a trip as the lion share goes to fuel cost. The rest goes to maintenance. Some cab operators started failing EMIs,” said Gaurav Adhikari, a cab operator.