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Ride-hailing apps such as Ola, Uber and Rapido were sporadically impacted on Saturday as drivers went on a partial strike across several cities in the country. Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) had called for a "breakdown" on February 7 to protest against existing rules and practices of app-based transportation platforms. It has demanded that the Centre and state governments should notify minimum base fare app-based transport services and bar the use of non-commercial vehicles for commercial passenger and goods transport. "We received one of the biggest responses to our call for breakdown today. We had planned to sit with heads and our leaders of 20 states to protest against the practices of app-based transport services firms and unexpectedly driver partners also turned up at Jantar Mantar," TGPWU founder state President Shaik Salauddin told PTI. He said the call was for a breakdown, which was meant to partially not accept bookings when there is peak demand. "We can
The transport authority of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has directed app-based taxi and auto rickshaw aggregators to follow the base fare of black-and-yellow taxis until the government decides on separate rates for them. The three aggregator firms -- Uber, Ola and Rapido -- were supposed to incorporate the existing fare structure of black-and-yellow taxis in their mobile applications before 5 pm on September 18. In a letter dated September 16, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) said the existing fare of black-and- yellow taxis is Rs 20.66 per km for non-AC vehicles and Rs 22.72 per km for AC vehicles. The three firms should implement it as base fare until the new rates for app-based taxis and auto rickshaws are finalised, it said. Bharat Kalaskar, secretary of MMRTA, told PTI that the base fare can be discounted by 25 percent when the demand is low, while a 1.5 times surge is allowed during a high-demand period. "We had convened a meeting of them ...
The State Transport Authority (STA) in Maharashtra has granted approval for provisional licences to the parent firms of app-based taxi aggregators Ola, Uber, and Rapido for bike taxi services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and fixed a minimum fare of Rs 15 for 1.5 kms, officials have said. As per the minutes of an STA meeting, the approval has been granted on the condition that these companies apply for permanent licences within a month, fulfilling all terms and conditions prescribed in the Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules 2025. ANI Technologies Private Limited, Uber India Systems Private Limited, and Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited, the parent companies of Ola, Uber, and Rapido, respectively, have been given approval. In the last two months, the transport department received four applications to launch bike taxi services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). But it approved provisional licences for only three companies. The STA rejected Smart-Ride's application for
The Maharashtra Gig Kamgar Manch on Saturday suspended the ongoing strike of drivers of app-based taxis in Mumbai and other cities of Maharashtra for three days. Keshav Nana Kshirsagar, president of the association, told PTI that the strike, which started on Wednesday, was being suspended till next Tuesday to give time to the Maharashtra government to respond to their demands. "We have only suspended the strike, not called it off. If our demands are not accepted by Tuesday, services will be shut again," he said. At a meeting with the association's representatives, transport department officials sought time till Tuesday, said Kshirsagar. In the meantime, app-based cabs will charge the rate fixed by the government for the conventional black-and-yellow taxis and not the rate appearing in the apps of cab aggregators (such as Ola or Uber), he said. He also urged commuters and drivers to use www.onlymeter.in, a fare calculation website based on official government rates, to avoid ...