Protesting Delhi taxi, auto unions call of strike

With Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal promising the auto and taxi drivers union that he would take action against app based taxi services like Uber and Ola that charge heavily during peak hours, the latter have called off their proposed strike, which was to start on Monday.

"We had a three-hour long meeting with transport minister Gopal Rai and several officers of the department," said Rajendra Soni, vice president of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), "The minister has agreed to take action against erring app-based taxi services and has also agreed to look into all other demands for which we had been fighting for the past two months."

The unions had demanded "uniform charges" for cab operators like Ola and Uber and their compliance with the Delhi government rules on fares.

Earlier, in the day the Delhi government had approached the Lieutenant Governor to intervene and provide safety to the auto and taxi drivers willing to ply if the strike takes place.

"Ola and Uber will have to follow rules. If we receive complaints against arbitrariness of any app-based taxi service, we will impound their vehicles," Rai said. Commuters can register complaints against arbitrariness or exorbitant fares at, he said.

Accusing app-based cab services of snatching their livelihood, Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh and Delhi Pradesh Taxi Unions had earlier threatened to go off the road from Monday.

Source : BS Motoring