Telangana cab drivers go on strike at Shamshabad airport, demanding better pay

HYDERABAD: A large number of cab drivers from the Ola and Uber platforms went on strike at Hyderabad's Shamshabad Airport, demanding better wages for their services.

Cab drivers staged the protest after being dissatisfied with the low cab fares, which were insufficient to cover their daily expenses. As part of their protest, several taxi drivers halted service to airport passengers for nearly three hours.

However, after the cab drivers refused to end the protest, police had to resort to lathi charges at Shamshabad Airport.

According to the Telangana Gig and Platforms Workers Union (TGPWU), the cost of a ride to and from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) is currently Rs. 300 to Rs. 600, and this price does not even cover fuel costs.

The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), had earlier launched a campaign in Hyderabad called #LowFareNoAir to teach all cab aggregators like Ola and Uber a lesson about the cost of living involved in running a cab service.

Shaik Salauddin Founder State President Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) said, "We have decided to boycott cab rides if fares to the airport are less than Rs 1,000 to 1,200 and also to make airport passengers wait if cab aggregator apps like Ola and Uber show fares less than Rs 400 to 500."

"We demand centralized tracking and management system that shall function as a unified portal for all financial transactions taking place on the aggregator’s digital platform. The breakdown of individual bills into its constituent parts i.e. fare charged for the customer, commission earned by the aggregator, payment made to the platform worker, fee deducted and taxes deducted can be reflected in the centralized tracking and management system at the transaction level, " he added.