BluSmart drivers hit the streets for compensation and job guarantee

After BluSmart's abrupt shutdown, drivers protest in Delhi seeking severance pay, employment guarantees and the right to unionise amid growing concerns over gig worker rights

Lacking clarity, stranded drivers of the all-electric ride-hailing company BluSmart on Sunday protested in New Delhi, demanding compensation. This was weeks after the beleaguered firm abruptly shut down its operations, rendering its drivers jobless overnight.

 

Their key demands include a severance package equal to three months' salary and a binding commitment that any future buyer of BluSmart or its assets will retain the current driver workforce to ensure continued employment. The protest at Jantar Mantar was led by Parivahan Morcha, with support from the Gig Workers Association.

 

With little communication from the company since the closure, the drivers say they feel abandoned. “Our future is bleak now. We have been left on the street with no source of income visible,” said Bablu, a BluSmart driver.

 

Narrating his ordeal trying to get work at another ride-sharing company, he said since he did not have his own car, he went to a fleet management firm to get a car on rent. “They wanted ₹10,000 as security for the car and ₹700 per day as rental. How will we afford this,” he asked.

 

The BluSmart shutdown has hit its female drivers even harder. Besides loss of income, they also face the harsh reality of a job market that remains deeply biased against women in driving roles.

 

Juli, a 28-year-old driver from Burari, joined BluSmart in January 2025 and was earning ₹20,000-22,000 a month. However, being the single earning member of her family of three, which includes her mother and a younger sister, she is currently facing challenges in landing a new job.

 

“I got my driving licence in October 2024. But, companies, in general, demand that the licence should be at least 2-3 years old. At this point, I am stuck because of the licence issue, and also, companies generally do not welcome female drivers,” she said. 

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Another female driver, Suman Singh, said she was struggling to keep up with her monthly loan repayments. “I don't know how to pay the remaining equated monthly instalments (EMIs) for my smartphone. If I try to go somewhere, there are not enough jobs for women drivers,” she said, adding that she was a student at Delhi University's School of Open Learning and was juggling studies with work.

 

Tajinder Singh, national president of Parivahan Morcha, said: “The company shut down overnight, leaving drivers with no work. The demand is that no company should be able to lay off workers abruptly without prior notice and in this case, drivers should be provided with some means to earn their livelihood.” 

 

BluSmart was operating mainly in three Indian cities -- Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru. It had a workforce of over 10,000 drivers.

 

Nitesh Kumar Das, organising secretary of the Gig Workers Association, said: “The companies can't simply abandon the workers and leave them alone. Several of them are migrants here and are the only breadwinners for their families. These drivers should get compensation amounting to three months of salary and alternative employment opportunities.”

 

Sanjay Sagar, who joined BluSmart in 2022, said: “Whenever there was any accident, we had to pay the penalty for the damage caused. I paid ₹25,000 to them once, but we are unemployed now due to no fault of ours. In this case, the company must pay us. It's their fault this time.”

 

The drivers also demanded that they should have the right to form unions to collectively negotiate fair wages, job security, and better working conditions. Currently, gig workers lack the right to form unions as they fall outside of traditional labour laws.