KOCHI: A group of auto rickshaw drivers allegedly attacked a Uber taxi driver and threatened the woman passenger in the car at the Ernakulam South Railway Station on Wednesday. Mohammed, a native of Guruvayoor, was attacked at the entrance of the railway station when he picked up the customer at 7.30 am. The group then threatened the passenger, Vidhya Gopalakrishnan, who lodged a complaint with City Police Commissioner.
“I came from Bengaluru and booked a cab to Kakkanad. When I got into the vehicle near the pre-paid auto rickshaw counter, a group of auto rickshaw drivers blocked the vehicle saying that Uber taxi was not allowed in the station premises. They manhandled the driver and attempted to snatch my mobile when I captured the images of the tussle. Then they abused me,” said Vidhya, a fashion designer. She said her friends boarded the Uber taxi from the same location without any trouble.
“They blocked only the vehicle booked by me. Though police reached the spot, they also asked me to hire a pre-paid taxi to reach my destination. I told police officials that I have no cash and they told me to withdraw money from an ATM counter. I hesitated to get down from the car and the argument lasted for 1 hour 30 minutes. Finally, a policeman took initiative to settle the issue and allowed me to resume the journey in the same car,” she said. Vidhya posted the video of the scuffle on Facebook and it has become viral since then.
Car driver Mohammed said he had made three trips to the railway station without facing any trouble. “So, I went to the station to pick up the customer. The Uber company has informed us that there is no issue with the traditional taxi and auto rickshaw drivers and we can conduct service,” he said.
Nithin Nair, Uber general manager, Kerala, demanded action be taken against the drivers.“To avoid such issues, the authorities should set up exclusive picking and dropping points for Uber taxis,” he said. There have been several clashes between the taxi drivers and Uber drivers recently.