HYDERABAD: The latest hike in fuel prices has intensified financial pressure on thousands of gig and platform workers in Hyderabad, with delivery riders, cab drivers and auto drivers saying their already shrinking earnings are being further hit by rising petrol, diesel, CNG and LPG costs.
Workers alleged that despite the steady increase in fuel prices, aggregator companies have failed to proportionately revise fares or delivery payouts, forcing workers to bear the additional expenses themselves.
Speaking to TNIE, Satish Kumar, a 33-year-old delivery worker associated with food delivery platform Zomato, said rising fuel and gas prices had severely affected workers across the gig economy ecosystem.
“After cooking gas prices increased, many cloud kitchens either shut down or reduced operations, causing orders to fall by nearly 20% to 30%.
Delivery workers who earlier earned around Rs 800 are now making only Rs 550 to Rs 600. Even small hikes in petrol prices add to our daily burden, while companies continue paying as little as Rs 11 to Rs 20 per order in some cases,” Satish said.
The concerns were echoed by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union, which warned that rising fuel prices could further destabilise gig workers already operating on thin margins.
TGPWU founder-president Shaik Salauddin said gig workers cannot work remotely and are forced to spend long hours on roads despite rising fuel, EMI and maintenance costs. He added that electric vehicles remain unaffordable for many workers due to high prices, limited subsidies and poor charging infrastructure.
The union demanded fair fare revisions, higher payouts, fuel compensation and better welfare support for gig workers.