Gurugram: Commuters anxious as cab unions threaten strike

GURUGRAM: With cab unions threatening to go on a mass strike against Haryana government’s decision to change tax structure for commercial vehicles, commuters in the city have again become worried over their source of transportation. The cabs have become a major form of transportation for commuters in the city, majorly for those commuters who go to railway station and airport.

However, with the Haryana government scrapping the passenger vehicle tax and introducing the motor vehicle tax from April 1, various taxi unions including major players like Ola and Uber have protested against the move and even threatened to not enter Gurugram.

As the number of commuters using cab services in the city is quite high, many commuters have expressed concerns about the impact the strike will have on their plans.

“Even though I have been provided transportation services by company, for most of the other important works I rely on cabs. Since my work involves a lot of travelling, I use the cab services for going to airports and railway stations. The biggest advantage of the cab services is that as they work twenty-four hours a day they can also be used during odd hours. Since I have a busy travelling schedule in the coming days, the cab strike is going to affect me, said Ankush Sachdeva, a city resident.

“There is no denying the fact that as there is a huge demand of cab services in the city, it is also extremely profitable. That is the reason the state government may have felt that the tax structure for the cab operators must change,” added Sachdeva.

Akansha Dev who works as a consultant in one of the MNCS in the city, said, “I stay in Noida. On certain days, I get transportation facilities from my company while on the other days I depend on the cabs. With cabs threatening to go on a strike, it is definitely going to affect those who are dependent on them at least during travelling at night.”

Cab operators have registered a strong protest against Haryana government’s new tax structure which provides for a payment of Rs 100 each time they enter the city.

Earlier, the cab operators were paying an amount of Rs 9,500 for a period of three months. Various cab operators have slammed the move by the Haryana government and have stated that it would severely affect their earnings.

On Monday, various cab operators protested against the state government outside Haryana Bhawan in Delhi.