Ola-Uber drivers defy strike, riders breathe easy

A strike called by a few transport unions on Tuesday had little impact on Delhi commuters as most drivers of cab aggregators Ola and Uber chose to defy the protest.

Unlike their two-week long strike in February which affected thousands of commuters, office-goers didn’t have to suffer much on Tuesday as cabs on mobile apps were mostly available throughout the day.

However, the app-based cab aggregators did resort to surgepricing on some routes. Some even complained of having to wait a little longer than usual. Even though a union of autorickshaws joined the protest, there was not much impact as three-wheelers too were plying.

The few protesters, who actually joined the march to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, submitted a memorandum at his office, even as the CM himself could not meet them.

“Our demands are the same as before. Ola and Uber are running cars between Delhi and other NCR cities with All India Tourist permits, whereas, they cannot be run on point-to-point basis,” said Kamaljeet Gill, president of Sarvodaya Driver Association of Delhi.

They later submitted the same memorandum to lieutenant governor Anil Baijal too. They also demanded that the base fare for each Ola and Uber ride should be increased from ₹6 per kilometre to ₹14.

Though some commuters had made alternative plans, they didn’t have to use it. “I was aware of the strike and had a back-up plan. I just tried to book a cab through Ola once and I got it. So I went to office in a cab like I usually do,” said Rakesh Mehra, an IT professional who travelled to Gurgaon from Vasant Kunj.