There is a likelihood of cab aggregators, Uber and Ola, being available in lesser numbers on March 19 in several parts of the country as the drivers working for the two have threatened to switch off their devices and go off-road due to the drastic fall in business in the past several months.

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The drivers from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Gurgaon and other cities will be shutting their devices from 8 am and protesting outside the offices of Uber and Ola. "The drivers, along with their families, will protest outside the offices of Uber and Ola on March 19. Over the years, the businesses of these drivers have slumped due to the mismanagement of these companies. If they do not take our demands seriously then this protest can be indefinite," said Sanjay Naik, Maharashtra Navnirman Vahatuk Sena, which is organising the protest in Mumbai.

The main demands of the unions are that Ola and Uber should ensure business worth Rs 1.25 lakh as assured by them in the beginning, shut operations of company-owned cabs, reinstate blacklisted drivers who have been given low ratings by passengers, decide fares as per cost of vehicles and stop low fare booking.

Since their inception, Mumbaikars have preferred travelling in app-based cabs for their daily commute from home to office and back. The apps are user friendly and fares under normal circumstances are barely more than the regular black and yellow cabs. However, the protest would result in the waiting period to get a cab and surge pricing on both apps skyrocketing that day.

In Mumbai, there are more than 45,000 aggregator cabs. Sources said that due to the slump in business, there has been a drop of 20 per cent in number of aggregator cabs on road. "The banks which provided loans against these cabs have seized thousands of vehicles. The drivers are unable to repay loans and run their families even after driving for over 12 hours," said a driver who operates his vehicle for both Ola and Uber.

DRIVERS' DEMAND

  • The main demands of the unions are that Ola and Uber should ensure business worth Rs 1.25 lakh as assured by them in the beginning, shut operations of company-owned cabs, reinstate blacklisted drivers who have been given low ratings by passengers, decide fares as per cost of vehicles and stop low fare booking