Ola, Uber Drivers' Association Meets Transport Commissioner, Says Strike Will Resume If No Solution Reached

The Ola Uber Drivers' Association held a meeting with the transport commissioner in Mumbai on Tuesday to discuss demands and come to consensus. However, the drivers have said that the strike will continue from Wednesday noon if no solution was reached, reported NDTV Marathi.

Along with this, there will also be a blockade on major roads in cities like Mumbai and Pune. Ola Uber drivers' association is using pressure tactics to reach a positive solution in the meeting, the reports added.

The demands raised by the protesting gig workers include Rs 32/km rate for cab drivers on aggregator services, complete ban on bike cabs, implementation of the Gig Workers Act.

So far, there have been multiple reports of passengers being asked to de-board across Mumbai due to the strike. In some instances, verified by NDTV Profit, cab drivers were threatened and asked to deboard passengers.

Mohit (name changed), a cab driver from Navi Mumbai told NDTV Profit, "We have just one demand from Ola and Uber— to give us a fixed rate per kilometre. Five years, back when we started working for the companies, we had a fixed rate that was decided by the government."

The cab unions had met Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik at Vidhan Sabha on July 15, who promised to come up with a solution in 15 days. "Such promises were made to us before as well, hence we want a permanent solution this time," said Mohit.

Sarnaik had posted images of his meeting with cab drivers on Tuesday. "In the backdrop of allegations made by rickshaw, taxi, and cab driver-owner organisations due to Ola-Uber and other app-based services, I personally listened to the concerns of the protesters today. Their demands are reasonable, and I have assured them that the government will make appropriate changes in the new policy," he wrote.