Ola, Uber drivers now knock TN govt's door for tariff hike

Both Ola and Uber didn't respond on queries related to ongoing protest

After two days protest, a section of drivers of cab aggregators Ola and Uber marched to the Transport Commissioner’s office in Chennai to submit their demands. Around 60 drivers were present but they were stopped by the police. The representatives of the unions were allowed to meet the Joint Commissioner. One demand was fixing the standard meter cost for trips at Rs 100 for the first four kilometres and Rs 17 for every one kilometre thereafter for five-seater cars. For  Sedans, the tariff has to be Rs 19 for every additional kilometre. For SUVs, they want the price to be fixed at Rs 150 for the first 4 kilometres and Rs 22 for every additional kilometre. The other demand s include a Rs 2 waiting charge for every minute and 25 per cent extra charge during night times.

Uber said it didn’t want to comment on the queries related to the ongoing protest, and Ola did not respond to an e-mail seeking response on the drivers’ allegations till the time of going to press.

The unions have also demanded not to register new vehicles, since the existing ones are not getting enough bookings. There are around 17,000 drivers associated to Ola and 18,000 drivers working with Uber in the city, said Bhimrao, CPI(M) state committee member and former Member of Legislative Assembly.