Even after three days of protest by around 15,000 cab drivers against their app-based taxi service providers, Ola and Uber, no solution has been derived yet.
President of All Assam Cab Operators Association, Ismail Ali said, “Though we protested for three days (7th, 8th and 9th May) Ola and Uber have not yet given us any solution.”
The president said that the local heads of Uber and Ola met the association and took the demands. They said that the demands will be forwarded to the management based outside Guwahati.
Ali said that the association had already submitted the demands to Ola and Uber earlier and they could have sent it to their seniors well before the strike. After the protest a solution was expected which did not happen.
The drivers now have threatened an indefinite strike against the app-based companies but they have planned the protest in such a way that customers will not be affected.
Ismail said, “If our demands are not fulfilled within the next one week, we will go on an indefinite strike against the companies. But the customers will not suffer.”
The protest will be planned only against the companies, Ismail said. The drivers will take the bookings but as soon as the customer boards the cab, the internet connection will be snapped with mutual consent of the customer.
The customer will be dropped at the location desired and a minimal fare will be charged so that both the customer and the driver do not bear loss.
Meanwhile, the company will not get the revenue, the president informed.
Talking about their demands the drivers have demanded bonus similar to the additional bonus given beyond 8 hour shifts as per international labour law. Other demands included stopping further additions of Ola, Uber cabs and lowering the Ola, Uber service charges from existing 26% to 10%. Ismail said that the companies charge 26% on all the trips.
The drivers also demanded Rs 100 as minimum starting fare. They demanded that suspended cars and blocked accounts of owner-driven cars should be immediately revoked without any condition. Also security of cab drivers and owners is demanded by introducing government schemes for their protection.
Myths propagated by some protesting groups untrue: Uber
After the protest, one app-based taxi service provider, Uber, claimed that only a few drivers were protesting and not all.
A source in Uber said, “Certain driver partners and riders lose access to the Uber app when their conduct goes against Uber.” It is only this group of drivers and owners who are propagating and instigating the entire protest with false claims, added the source.
“We are committed to ensuring that driver partners are able to use the Uber app to have a rewarding entrepreneurial experience borne out of the fact that hundreds of driver partners in Guwahati drive on Uber on a daily basis. We regret the disruption caused to our rider and driver community in Guwahati by a small group of individuals who are resorting to violence and vandalism,” the source claimed.
He also revealed that an injunction has been issued by the learned district court which will help law enforcement authorities ensure that Uber drivers stay behind the wheel, without fear or harassment.
