Ola, uber drivers threaten indefinite strike from today midnight
Mekhola Mukherjee
18 March, 2018
Pune: The drivers of cab aggregators Uber and Ola have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from the midnight of March 18 that is today.
Other cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Bengaluru, etc are expecting a walk out of drivers too.
The Cab Drivers Association of Pune is claiming that the cab companies’ managements are not fulfilling their demands and not paying them the amount that was promised.
Sanjay Naik of Maharashtra Navnirman Vahatuk Sena, who is organizing the strike, told PTI “Ola and Uber had given big assurances to the drivers, but today they are unable to cover their costs. They have invested Rs 5-7 lakh, and were expecting to make Rs 1.5 lakh a month but are unable to even make half of this, owing to the mismanagement by these companies”. He also added that in Mumbai, about 60,000 cabs will be off road.
The banks which provided loans against these cabs have seized thousands of vehicles. The drivers are unable to repay loans and run their families even after driving for over 12 hours,” said a driver who operates his vehicle for both Ola and Uber.
According to another cab driver, the company has suddenly withdrawn their agreement of paying the amount, which was promised.
As per the organization, if their demands are not met, the proposed strike could go on indefinitely and getting cabs will be difficult from Monday onwards due to its non-availability.
“We have been informed by the police that they have proactively taken all the necessary steps to ensure the safety of commuters during their cab rides in the city”, an Ola spokesperson said.
