Strike by auto, taxi unions leaves commuters stuck in parts of Delhi

Commuters in several parts of the city on Thursday struggled with last-mile connectivity as a two-day strike by autorickshaw and taxi drivers’ unions got underway demanding a ban on the operation of app-based cab aggregators.
To be sure, with several unions opting out of the strike, the brunt of the impact was only felt in limited areas.
With several autorickshaws and traditional black-and-yellow taxis off the road, people booking cabs using aggregator services like Uber and Ola in Delhi reported that they experienced “surge pricing” which was often twice as high as normal fares.
A group of 14 taxi and auto unions had announced the strike on August 7 in a letter addressed to the lieutenant governor (LG), transport minister, traffic police and other authorities.
Read more: Auto, taxi drivers in Delhi-NCR launch 2-day strike; demand ban on Ola, Uber
The group – comprising autorickshaws, traditional kali-peeli cabs, economic radio taxis and taxis with all-India tourist permit – announced a list of 10 demands mainly targeting the operations of app-based aggregator platforms that they claim are eating into their businesses. The strike by the autos caused an increased demand for such app-based cabs on Thursday, leading to reduced availability and surge pricing.
“I tried to book a cab/auto rickshaw for my office at New Friends Colony. All cab aggregators took too long to confirm rides today. Even when they did, the fare was more than double than usual. Auto rickshaws were charging higher, around 200-250 for just a 4km distance,” said 26-year-old Bhavika Choudhary.
Others said that while the cabs were difficult to get, the autos in many areas continued to ferry commuters despite the strike, though at rates that were often twice as high.
“I could not hire an auto to go to my relative’s place in Dilshad Garden. At least two auto drivers offered ₹400 fare, which is more than double what I generally pay. They informed me that due to the strike autos were not available, but when I came outside the station, I found many autos plying,” said Rajesh Singh, a resident of Jharkhand visiting his residents in Delhi who was waiting near the New Delhi Railway Station.
A resident of Vipin Garden in Dwarka, Vishal Thakur said, “Every day I take an auto to reach Dwarka More Metro Station from my home. Today, I saw fewer autos available in the area, and I ended up having to wait for quite some time to get an auto”.
Near Vasant Kunj a group of auto drivers gathered on the street on Thursday morning and forcefully stopped auto drivers who were seen plying the vehicles.
Ram Pravesh, an auto driver, said: “We stopped autos that were not following the strike. The strike was called because private number bikes are being used by app-based platforms to ferry passengers and they are eating into our income. Our income has become more than half, and it has become difficult for us to meet the needs of our family.”
Kishan Verma, president of the Delhi Auto Taxi Transport Congress Union, which is behind the strike, said that cab aggregators are affecting their livelihoods and eating up their earnings.
Read more: Why are auto-taxi drivers in Delhi-NCR on strike today and tomorrow?
“The strike is to save jobs and provide for the families of auto and taxi drivers. These cab aggregator platforms are illegal and, in some cases, even private vehicles with white number plates can pick up customers. We need the authorities to stop all such operations and also remove MCD toll that all cabs have to pay for travelling across NCR.”
Meanwhile, members of Delhi Auto Taxi Transport Congress Union staged a protest at Jantar Mantar and stressed that the strike would continue on Friday as well.
“The strike will continue on Friday, and in fact will be more impactful. We will hit the streets on Friday and ensure that all the autos are off the streets,” said Verma.
Several unions, however, chose to ignore the calls for strike – curtailing the impact of the stir for commuters to a large degree.
Delhi Auto Rickshaw Sangh general secretary Rajender Soni said that the strike was ineffective because many autos and kali-pili taxis continued operations. “My union and around five other unions are not participating in the strike because the app-based cab providers are not the direct competitors of autos. We are not on strike,” said Soni.
Many autorickshaw drivers also appeared unaware of the strike.
Anand Kumar Sahu, an auto driver idling near the entry gate of Anand Vihar terminal, said he was not aware of any strike. “Since morning I have been ferrying passengers. My friends are also running their vehicles. We weren’t aware of any strike,” Sahu said.
In Delhi’s satellite towns like Gurugram and Noida, the impact was hardly felt.
Residents travelling to and from these towns said that they were able to book cabs without any hassle, with many commuters traveling to and from Delhi reporting a smooth experience.
Protests by autos and traditional cab service unions have been frequent since the app-based companies made a debut in the capital offering cheap cab services in 2012-13. The unions have been demanding that the government take measures such as fixing the maximum fare for the cabs as they do for autos so that they are on a level playing field.
Around 150,000 motor cabs are registered in Delhi, according to the transport department. Delhi has around 95,000 autos and 10,000 kali-pili taxis.