KEY MEET TODAY TO SEAL FATE OF MONDAY’S AUTO AND TAXI STRIKE

MUMBAI: Transport commissioner Pravin Gedam called an urgent meeting of the leaders of taxi and autorickshaw unions at noon on Sunday to avert a proposed strike against app-based taxi aggregators such as Ola and Uber from Monday.

Mumbai has around 40,000 black-and-yellow cabs and around one lakh auto rickshaws.

Fed up of being turned down by taxi and auto drivers and the poor condition of their vehicles, several Mumbaikars have switched to services such as Ola and Uber, which began operations in Mumbai in mid2014 and now account for more than 25,000 taxis in the city.

Although the majority of taxi and autorickshaw unions said they won’t participate in the proposed strike, the agitating unions — Jai Bhagavan Mahasangh and Swabhiman Taxi and Rickshaw Sanghatana — are firm on their decision.