Taxi drivers, regardless of where they are in the world, are hands-down kind. But there are moments when they become cruel to ridesharing drivers. Here is the scoop.
Alarming
Ridesharing drivers in India for Ola and even Uber are currently in protest against aggregator taxi and car services. However, the protests are centered in Mumbai alone.
Don’t get confused. Aggregator taxi services are digital platforms that connect passengers with drivers via a mobile app. These companies act as intermediaries by using their platform to match riders with available drivers, manage the booking and payment process, and handle driver incentives.
Ridesharing apps protesting against aggregator services? Wait until you hear the official statement from the union. Actually, it is the union that’s mainly protesting.
Keshav Kshirsagar from the Manch told Ridesharing Forum, “We have requested that cabs and autos working on aggregator platforms go off roads in protest. We are demanding a revision of fares in the app, and oppose the entry of bike taxis across the state.”
So, it is clear at this time. Unions are encouraging taxis on those apps to join the protests, which are different from individuals who are signed up from their personal choice to drive for those platforms.
But, things would only go alarming. These protests, particularly not just against the aggregator systems, but against authorities who refuse to take action, have been going on since July. Oh, no.
Are these protests illegal?
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These protests are also on the verge of getting tagged as “illegal,” since the authorities themselves, specifically the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers Union, stated that the drivers under its belt will not participate in the rallies.
However, Kshirsagar made it a point that there will be a shutdown stunt, once the finance experts from across the country meet in Mumbai for a conference very soon.
Towards subscription-based
Meanwhile, in other Ola India news, Uber is joining this app in rolling out a nationwide subscription-based system for its driver partners across all vehicle forms, may they be cars, autos, or bikes.
Currently, Ola India and Rapido are following this subscription-based model.
“In line with changed market practices, we are now running on a subscription model across all form factors, including cars, autos, and bikes. In the absence of GST clarity on this operating model, this transition reflects the larger industry evolution towards SaaS (software as a service) -based facilitation, already well-embedded in practice,” Uber India noted in their official statement.
Will drivers like this new system of Ola India? Yes and no. First and foremost, this is also the very system that shied away drivers away from traditional and commission-based platforms. So, whether this initiative will be successful, is still questionable.
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