Chennai call taxi drivers association stages protest, demands regularisation of Ola, Uber

Tamil Nadu Call Taxi Owners and Drivers Association (TNCTODA) said they were forced to take the decision after three cab drivers in the city allegedly committed suicide due to debts. (EPS | Ashwin Prasath)

The drivers alleged that cab aggregators OLA and UBER take about 27 per cent of their earnings a day. Hence, they have trouble making their ends meet. The drivers also say they are being penalised by the service providers for trivial reasons. (EPS | Ashwin Prasath)

According to the association, about 32,000 cabs are operated for OLA and UBER in Chennai, while rest of the vehicles run for NTL, Fast track, Friends and other companies. (EPS | Ashwin Prasath)

The number of cabs increased in Chennai city after many auto drivers migrated to cabs and those newly migrated cab drivers have purchased cars through bank loans. (EPS | Ashwin Prasath)

Saying that cab drivers are pushed to commit suicide, the association members want the government to fix rates for cab services and reduce OLA and UBER share of 27 per cent to seven per cent. (EPS | Ashwin Prasath)