With the two cab aggregators agreeing to meet almost 80 per cent of the drivers' demands, services will resume in a day or two
Ola, Uber cabs will be back on the roads. File pic
Ola's and Ubers could be back on the streets in full strength in a day or two. The management of the app-based companies have agreed to most of their demands, including a hike in fares per kilometre. The labour unions did not meet the transport commissioner to end the stalemate, but continued their meetings with the management of cab companies till Tuesday night.
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"The meetings are on and we shall announce a decision soon," Govind Mohite, general secretary of Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh, which has led the over week-long strike said.
The drivers have been complaining that they are unable to earn as the app-companies diverted more business to cabs that are owned by the company, and a sustained practice like this for the past few months has led to a decline in their earnings.
"I have bought a cab on loan and need a certain amount of money every month to pay it back. With the new equation, it was becoming difficult to make ends meet. There needs to be some solution to this," Rakesh Rastogi, a driver partner said. The drivers claim their earnings had dropped to Rs 2,000 per day from Rs 5,000.
'Need more business'
Drivers have been demanding that they should be able to make a business of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per day so that they can meet expenses like that of maintenance and other requirements.
In the negotiations that have been on since Monday, the management of Ola has said in its letter that they will assure that their driver partners will be able to earn Rs 10-12 per km after deduction of the commission in the micro category, and those in the Sedan and Prime categories will earn Rs 12-15 per km, and those in the SUV category will be able to earn Rs 17-19, provided the driver-partner logs in for a minimum of eight hours a day with six bookings in peak hours.
More meetings
On Monday labour union leaders had assured to end the strike on Tuesday in the presence of the Maharashtra transport commissioner. However, leaders held another round of meetings with the managements. "No one has come to meet me at my office about the ongoing strike today," Maharashtra transport commissioner Shekhar Channe told mid-day.
On Tuesday evening, a statement issued by the Uber spokesperson had said, "We continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders with a view to restore services to the people and city of Mumbai at the earliest. We have always been and continue to be committed to sustainable driver earnings and to discuss all other issues raised by the driver partners. We look to the support of law enforcement in helping driver partners get back behind the wheel without fear of intimidation and assault."
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