NEW DELHI: Commuters had a tough time finding hired rides on Monday as auto-rickshaws, app-based cabs and taxi unions in the capital went on a two-day strike demanding subsidy on CNG rates and revision in fares amid a hike in fuel prices. In the sweltering heat commuters had to either pay exorbitant fares or wait for long before they could hail a ride.
Many couldn’t reach their workplaces and worked from home for not being able to commute to work, in particular, from the NCR towns of Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram. Large number of commuters across the city complained that app-based aggregators such as Uber and Ola showed surge pricing as well as longer waiting hours, as drivers cancelled bookings frequently.
One of the commuters, Kajal Chauhan, said, “There were no auto rickshaws even at the metro stations. It became so difficult to commute and if I tried to book a cab from Akshardham to Mata Sundri College, which is 9 km of distance, Ola was charging Rs 400 and above. An autorickshaw usually charges Rs 100 from Akshardham to my college but today when I managed to find one autorickshaw, he charged me Rs 180. Now amid these strikes, these autos will keep fleecing us.”
Another commuter from Greater Noida, who comes to ITO every day for work said that it was hard to find a cab and I finally took an auto-rickshaw halfway, which too fleeced me. “The usual fare from my home to work is around Rs 450-500, but today the fares went up to Rs 850. I didn’t take it.
Then the auto-rickshaw too charged me Rs 250 halfway. It was really a tough day,” said Neetu Sharma, an IT professional. The impact of the strike was visible at the city’s transport hubs such as railway stations and bus terminals where passengers could be seen waiting for longer periods. CNG prices have been hiked recently soon after petrol and diesel prices too saw a surge.
Driver union’s ultimatum to govt
According to Kamaljeet Gill, president, Sarvodaya Drivers Union, “We have give a two-day ultimatum to the Centre and state to give us a subsidy on CNG prices as well as revise the fares of the app-based aggregators. Lakhs of drivers have been reduced to hand to mouth.”