Ola and Uber have been alleged to mistreat drivers of cab, taxi and bike. In protest against the harassment, services will be discontinued in Guwahati, Assam.

By Divya Bhati: Ride-hailing services of Uber and Ola will be discontinued in Guwahati, Assam from February 1. The decision of closing the cab and bike services was made by All Assam Cab Mazdoor Sangha and All Guwahati Bike and taxi Union. The two associations took the decision to discontinue the services amid the continuous harassment of cab drivers by cab aggregators.

In a press conference, the associations assert that the companies providing these cab services have been misleading and exploiting the drivers for a long time.

“Ola and Uber started operations in Assam in 2015. In the first year, they gave us good incentives. But in later days they started harassment of cab drivers. They started taking 40 to 60 per cent of the commission from cab drivers per trip. This is not reasonable,” All Assam Cab Mazdoor Sangha general secretary Jyotish Deka said in a report by The Meghalayan.

“They are also taking the dynamic price from us. If we pay such a commission, nothing is left for us. We work for 18-20 hours. We have to pay instalments in the banks and finance companies for loans against vehicles and maintain our family also,” Deka further added.

According to a report by Assam Tribune, around 18,000 cabs are currently operating on the roads as part of Uber and Ola cab services. Additionally, the bike taxi operator union is also shutting down the bike taxi aggregator service by Rapido from February 1. More than 16,000 Rabido bike services will be closed following the call for discontinuation.

However, amid all the protests, cab and bike drivers have urged the government to introduce a new app so that they can continue their services. Also, in the meantime, the two local cab operators– Pei India and AM2 will continue to offer ride-hailing services.

Earlier, the Maharashtra government banned the services of Rapido. The Bombay High Court ordered the bike-taxi aggregator to suspend operations in Maharashtra due to failure to disclose crucial information, including the lack of a licence to operate. The company further agreed to halt services, including 2-wheeler passenger and parcel service and auto service. The ban was imposed until January 20th.

The cab and bike services by Ola and Uber have definitely given jobs to many drivers and convenience to people. However, in the past few years, many drivers have been complaining about the terms and conditions laid by the company. For instance, drivers have to wait for their money if customers pay them through an app wallet offered by the company. For this reason, often these cab, taxi or bike drivers request people to pay them directly in cash or on their UPI ID.