Driver-owners say strike will continue till demands are met

Mumbaikars hoping to travel by app-based cabs run by Ola or Uber on Monday may find it difficult to find a ride, as thousands of independent drivers working with the aggregators will go on an indefinite strike from midnight on Sunday against the companies’ policies.

In Mumbai, the strike is being spearheaded by the Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS). Driver-owners in Pune, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad are also expected to go on strike.

Sanjay Naik, president of the MNS transport wing, said the strike in the city will be total and only vehicles owned by Ola and Uber will operate. “We have the support of nearly 80,000 drivers, who will go offline at midnight. Thousands of drivers and their families will also protest outside Ola and Uber’s offices on Monday morning,” he said.

MNS leaders said the strike will be called off only when the demands are met. Key demands include guaranteed business of ₹1.25 lakh a month, reinstatement of blacklisted drivers and removal of company-owned cars. “The firms blacklist drivers who complain against their polices,” Mohammad Yakub, a driver blacklisted by Ola, said.

Many drivers, worried about being blacklisted, have said that while they will go offline, they will not protest in front of the offices.

The drop in earnings, drivers say, is due to a change in the incentive structure. “We earn less than autorickshaw drivers on an average for covering the same distance,” one driver said. Another driver, who has been working with both companies, said when he started out, he would earn around ₹30,000 per week after driving 100 to 150 km per day. “Over time, the incentives have changed from a daily-trip-based system to a dynamic one, where I have no surety of earning an incentive. In the last couple of months, I have barely made ₹20,000 after driving for 250-275 km a day,” he said.

The drivers also allege that the aggregators favoured drivers leasing cars owned by the companies. “They have to wait and travel a lot less to their pick-up location,” Mr. Yakub said.

A driver who did not wish to be named said he supported the cause, but did not want the strike to happen. “How many days can a driver go without earning?” he asked. He said he will not take his car out for fear of damage caused by other striking drivers.

An Ola spokesperson said, “We have been informed by the Mumbai Police that they have taken all the necessary steps to ensure the safety of commuters during their cab rides.” Uber representatives said the company was not in a position to comment.

An executive of one of the cab aggregators, who did not want to be named, said there has been no official communication from any driver about the strike.