600 Uber cabs stay off road, commuters at receiving end

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, May 23

Hundreds of riders across the tricity went through a harrowing experience as the driver-partners of taxi aggregator Uber on Wednesday went on an indefinite strike in protest against low earnings. The strike created a deadlock with office-goers and commuters in the tricity compelled to look for other alternatives.

Riders were not able to book a cab and at times, the hike in fare was manifold. The driver partners claimed that around 600 cabs went off the road completely.

On Tuesday, Uber had claimed that only a small group of protesters were spreading the myth.

“Cabs were not available in pool or go category. Left with no option, I hired an auto-rickshaw to reach my work place,” said Manpreet Singh, a city resident.

“There was a manifold hike in the fare even at off-peak hours. I was willing to pay that too but failed to book a cab despite repeated attempts,” said Asha, a resident of Mohali.

In a message communicated to riders through its app, Uber said, “We may face disruptions in our operation today, which may affect your Uber experience (higher expected time of arrival, cancellations etc). We are working hard to bring more cars on the road at the earliest and to keep the tricity moving.”

Protesting low earning among other pending demands, Uber drivers said their protest would continue till their demands were met.

“Around 600 cabs stayed off road on Wednesday as the company did not honour its commitment on our earning,” said Rupinder Singh, a protesting driver.

The drivers are demanding increased incentives as the rise in diesel prices coupled with cutbacks in riders’ fare have made their sustenance difficult.

Protesting drivers informed Chandigarh Tribune that Uber officials had invited them to discuss their issues. “We had a couple of talks with them regarding reduced earnings earlier also, but they did nothing about it. We are keeping our fingers crossed now and hope something good happens on Thursday,” said another driver.

Uber officials in the city could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.