Cab strike refuses to die down, footfall on Metro sees a spike

ON THURSDAY, Divya Garg, a lawyer practising in the Supreme Court, parked her car at her Bengali Market firm as she was going out for dinner with a friend, who later dropped her home in Noida Sector 90. The next day, Garg was booking an Uber cab to work when she found there were none available, except for one in the prime segment — with a surge price two times the original fare.

“I completely forgot about the strike. I booked a cab despite the high fare, but the driver said my booking was not flashing on his app. I booked another cab but the second driver refused the trip. So I finally decided to take the Metro,” she said.

With the strike by Ola and Uber drivers entering its eighth day, the Delhi Metro has been a dependable redeemer to a city still trying to grapple with the “convenient” cab services going off the roads.

With the DMRC reporting a surge in ridership by 65,000 as compared to last week, Garg and others like her had to use the Metro due to the unavailability of cabs.

Garg took an e-rickshaw to Sector 18 Wave Metro station, roughly 13 km away, where she encountered serpentine queues at the token counters. Luckily, she found a smart card in her bag that she quickly recharged before boarding the Metro.

Meanwhile, the Delhi HC, which is hearing Uber’s plea against the striking cab unions, directed the joint commissioner of traffic police to ensure peace on roads after incidents of vandalism and striking drivers trying to block cabs were reported. The cab giant and the unions submitted before the court that an authorised signatory from Ola and Uber will hold meetings with striking drivers to try and peacefully resolve the issue.