Mumbai's app-based taxi, auto drivers to observe day-long strike

Mumbai: A union of app-based taxi and autorickshaw drivers has called a day-long strike on Saturday to press various demands, including redressal of grievances about the installation of panic buttons.

In a statement, Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha said that drivers of app-based taxis and autorickshaws across the country will observe a nationwide one-day strike on February 7 to protest against "illegal" bike taxi services and "arbitrary" fare policies of ride aggregators such as Ola, Uber and Rapido.

The mandatory panic button installation has led to a financial burden for drivers, it claimed.


"While there are 140 panic button device providers approved by the Central government, the state government has declared nearly 70 per cent of these companies unauthorised. As a result, cab drivers are being forced to remove previously installed devices and spend approximately Rs 12,000 unnecessarily to install new devices, causing severe financial hardship," the statement said.

The drivers' body also raised concerns over loss of income due to an increase in the number of autorickshaws under the open permit policy, and also alleged that victims of accidents involving illegal bike taxis are denied insurance benefits.