Two-wheeler taxi commuters of Guwahati have faced a major hindrance almost the whole past week as the different bike service providers have called for an indefinite strike from December 14.
Sporadic protests have erupted in different parts of the city. The riders have refused to operate the bike taxi services. Guwahati office goers and college students have been the worst to be hit from the disruption.
"They told me to cancel and pay the fare money offline. This is not safe. I had to wait for a long time before someone agreed to come and pick me officially," an advertising professional told G Plus. The evening commute was also affected even though the strike was till 5 PM. Residents have even raised allegations of double fares being charged by the bike taxi operators. "I had to wait for a long time at Uzanbazar. I finally found one rider who told me to cancel and pay extra for the ride. It is getting increasingly difficult to avail the services," a Guwahati based entrepreneur told G Plus in anonymity.
Why are taxi-bike operators protesting?
The All Assam Bike Taxi Operators’ Union (AABTOU) has been protesting against the popular ride platforms since Monday to increase the income of the riders. "After the lockdown, the royalty paid to the companies have been increased to 30%. The bike rent also has been reduced," said Bhargav Borah, Secretary, AABTOU. "The bike rent has also been reduced in the following months," added Borah.
The AABTOU has demanded bike rent to be increased and drivers be paid from the source. For example, if a person has booked a cab at Ganeshguri and the driver is coming to pick the customer from Dispur Secretariat, the distance should be considered from Dispur and not from where the trip starts. The union had intensified the protest throughout the week over this demand.
The drivers have also alleged that there are no physical offices of Rapido, Uber and Ola in Guwahati. While Uber and Ola have closed their offices around two months back, Rapido has also done the same about a month ago, making it difficult for associates and drivers to talk to the management directly.
Meanwhile, the Rapido authorities have denied receiving any formal complaints regarding the matter. G Plus spoke to Rapido Guwahati Head, Suman Acharjee who claimed that the union had not officially approached them with a written statement of their issues. On the issue of having a physical office he said, "These are just allegations; we have just recently shifted our office to Ananda Nagar from Zoo Road."
As the protests intensified, the Rapido Guwahati unit has forwarded the matter to the head office. "We still have forwarded the matter about their issues. But, it's not like we have not helped them. During the pandemic, we even gave them loans which they could repay by riding. I guess no operator has done that," added Acharjee.
The official raised the issue of anti-social activities led by few drivers who broke the bikes of other riders who wanted to commute during the strike. "There are reports of breaking bikes and one question is when the strike was supposed to be till 5PM, why was it extended further? This is a union without logic," said Suman Acharjee.
The Rapido Guwahati unit has urged the operators to meet them and solve the problem. "They are our partners and without them we too can’t operate. But we need to sit it out and find a right solution," added the official. On the issue of why the royalty was increased, the company official stated that the pandemic was the issue which had led to the decision.
The union and the protesters have been firm on their resolve to get the royalty reduced.
The aftermath of the protests
On Thursday, four days after the initial protests, the AABTOU and the company officials met at Hotel Vivanta to discuss the matter. "It was a positive discussion as we met Uber. But, Rapido and Ola are yet to meet us," said Debojit Baishya, President, AABTOU.
There is still a lack of clarity regarding how the situation will move ahead with only few of the operators taking part in the protests.
Nonetheless, the issue of women safety has been raised by the citizens as the operators continue to violate in-app travel norms, thereby asking commuters to cancel the ride. G Plus spoke to a senior police official from the Panbazar Women’s Police Station, who has urged the citizens to file complaints against the drivers in case of such requests.
The official has also stated that one can approach the nearest police station if the complaints are not taken care of. As per the officials of Rapido, a few licenses were also cancelled over the said matter. Even then, these violations keep happening openly.