Arguments, fleecing affect passengers during cab and autorickshaw strike in Pune
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Pune: Sporadic instances of arguments and fleecing in several parts of the city marred the strike called by aggregator app-based cab and auto drivers from Friday onwards.
In particular, arriving flyers at the airport were majorly inconvenienced by the lack of options to travel to city areas.
A woman on her way to a doctor near Amanora Mall said she was mistreated by a group of autorickshaw drivers on strike. "I hailed an auto on the road and was on my way to the doctor when a group of other autowallahs stopped the driver. They snatched away his cellphone and tried to pull me out of the vehicle forcibly, stating that a strike was on. They paid no heed even when I said I had a doctor's appointment. When I screamed, they backed off a bit.
The auto driver took the opportunity to drive off. How can they indulge in violence like this?" she told TOI, choosing anonymity.
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The indefinite strike has been called by the Indian Gig Workers Front in Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur. They demand that the fare-by-meter system in cabs be acknowledged as legal by state govt and the decision to operate e-bike taxis also be repealed.
The strike led to major inconvenience for scores of commuters in Pune.
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For instance, in the morning hours, a ride from NIBM Road to Pune airport (around 15km) by auto showed a fare of Rs430 against the normal Rs240 on the Uber app. If one booked an Uber XL, the fare reflected a whopping Rs1,461, and a ride via an Uber Sedan showed a fare of Rs777. A ride via UberGo showed a fare of Rs739, and if one wanted to ride in the Uber Premier category, the fare showed Rs1,096.
Elsewhere in the city as well, auto prices almost doubled — a short ride from Karve Road to FC Road cost at least Rs70-80 by auto, versus the usual average of Rs40-50 on aggregator apps.
By meter, the same cost comes to around Rs30.
Arriving flyers at the airport in the early hours of Friday were especially hassled. Vivek Purekar, who had to go to Kothrud from the airport, said, "I booked an Uber cab, for which the fare is locked advance. Upon reaching the AeroMall from the arrival area, I was told that cab drivers were on strike and I had to take another mode of transportation. Many other flyers besides me were clueless about this.
I then wasted around 30 minutes trying to cancel the pre-paid ride and had to take pre-paid autorickshaw to my destination.
"
Ajinkya Bhavane, who came from Delhi and wanted to go to Kalyaninagar, was in for a shock too. "The cab pickup area at the AeroMall was practically empty, and even after repeated attempts over 30 minutes, I couldn't get any cabs. I came outside with my luggage and found an auto driver who asked me to pay Rs500 for the short distance, saying that there was a strike going on.
I was in a hurry to reach home and had no choice," he rued.
Ankit Rai, a Pune resident, wrote on X, "There are no cabs available to commute to work. The aggregator applications are showing triple times surge, and striking drivers are stopping cabs and assaulting the non-striking drivers and also passengers, resulting in passengers being left stranded by the roadsides."
Sonu Pandey, who was at the airport late on Thursday evening, also shared his plight on X and posted: "Last night, I witnessed five or six individuals acting like thugs, threatening and physically assaulting cab drivers, forcing them to cancel rides.
Meanwhile, regular cabs were charging exorbitant fares — upwards of Rs2,000 for a mere 10km ride. This is a complete disaster."
Keshav Kshirsagar, president of the Indian Gig Workers Front, accepted that incidents of violence occurred. "We have been appealing to striking drivers not to indulge in any violence and will continue to do so. On Friday, we also met some officials of the transport department who said they could arrange a meeting with all stakeholders by Tuesday.
So, at present, the strike will be on until Tuesday at least until our demands are met," he told TOI.
Earlier this year, the Indian Gig Workers Front announced that from May 1, cabs of Ola, Uber and Rapido should charge fares as per state govt-approved rates rather than fares reflecting on apps.
App companies had said that for autos, they had already switched to a SaaS (software as a service) model, wherein commuters could book autos via the apps but then fares would be decided by mutual understanding between drivers and commuters.
On May 1, the Gig Workers Front launched the website 'onlymeter.in' on which govt approved fares would reflect when details were entered.
At present, many auto and cab drivers have been demanding fares as per the website, but this has created arguments between drivers and customers. State govt has not yet said whether the website is legal.
Pune RTO officials had told TOI that once the state aggregator policy comes into effect, this confusion will be cleared. "We should have tightened the noose on aggregator-based vehicles moving without licence but we didn't so that customers don't feel the pinch. Now, we are waiting for the policy. Once it comes into play, apps will have to adhere to norms and apply for a licence," Pune deputy RTO Swapnil Bhosle had earlier told TOI.
The Gig Workers Front has stated that since app-based services are operating without licences, the fare-by-meter system must be legally recognised by state govt.
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