Ola, Uber drivers go on strike in Mumbai demanding pay hike

Drivers of cab aggregators Ola and Uber have called for a flash strike today in Mumbai. This is one of the many strikes organized by the drivers community in the past over unmet demands. According to reports, a section of the 45,000 Ola and Uber cabs in Mumbai have gone off roads since morning, which has also resulted in a surge in prices.

BGR India has reached out to both Ola and Uber to get an update on the situation, but we await the response. As per media reports, during peak morning hours, the prices has surged owing to shortage of cabs.

The reasons for the strike appear to be related to drivers’ salary and security. In wake of the recent assaults on drivers, the driver community of these cab aggregators is now seeking some



sort of assurance by the company for their safety at work. Reports indicate that last week, the drivers had held a silent protest march from the Uber office in Kurla to the Ola office in Andheri (East). 

A report says that the drivers might announce an official strike later this week as many of them are going under the banner of a well known mill workers’ union. Today’s strike was apparently communicated through WhatsApp groups after a closed-door meeting, and hence, not all drivers are participating.

 

Amidst all this, the commuters are facing the inconvenience. According to The Tribune, the taxi drivers have switched off their mobile phones, thus going offline and making themselves unavailable for commuters.