Taxi cabs to go off the roads of Kolkata for 2 days

Anyone planning to visit Kolkata should know that all taxicabs would be off the roads for 2 days - this means nearly 20,000 taxis would be missing for 48 hours starting 6am on Thursday. This is to protest the refusal of the state government to raise taxi fares and rein in aggregators like Uber and Ola.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 3 December 2015.

The Citu-backed West Bengal Taxi Workers' Union has joined hands with the Bengal Taxi Association (BTA) and two other taxi unions to call the strike. Due to this strike, commuters would be forced to depend on taxi aggregators, illegal shuttle cabs and autorickshaws. Incidentally, the growing popularity of app-based cabs and their exponential growth has prompted the strike call.
As per industry estimates, nearly 15,000-18,000 taxis are affiliated to the BTA.
Taxi aggregators have cautioned that due to the strike, the waiting time could go up on Thursday and Friday because demand would outstrip supply. Moreover, the spike in demand would, simultaneously, push up the Uber and Ola fares. It has happened in the past.

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Autorickshaws go off the roads in Mumbai – fight for survival against radio cabs

Over a million commuters, office-goers and students were inconvenienced in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane as around 20,000 autorickshaws went off the roads pressing for their demands to ban radio taxis and having a social welfare scheme.
The funniest part is that due to their strike, the radio cabs had a field day.
This has been reported in zeenews.com dated 17 June 2015.

Mumbai Autorickshawmens Union has blamed the government for the inconvenience to the citizens because it is now a matter of survival of the autorickshaw and those who drive them. The reason is that private taxis, tourist vehicles and call center cars have come into the field to transport the people to various areas in the suburbs. On top of that, other cabs like Ola cabs and Uber cabs ply beyond their jurisdiction which is also affecting the autorickshaw drivers.
Unless things are set right, there could be more such agitations in future.
Transport Minister of Maharashtra has indicated that the government has taken note of their demands and would consider them.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Uber cab hires women drivers to ensure safety of women passengers

Uber cabs in New Delhi have faced flak due to some of its errant drivers who had misbehaved with women passengers. There was an instance of rape reported and, it faced criticism once again for the recent molestation case in Gurgaon.
Therefore, the cab aggregator firm Uber has decided to employ women drivers to boost customer confidence. It has already done so in Mumbai where it has recruited 20 women cabbies to ensure safety of women travelling alone, especially in the night.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 15 June 2015.

As one of the woman drivers has remarked - women feel safe when ferried by women drivers. She has joined Uber recently and earns up to Rs 3,000 per day and is, probably, one of the highest paid woman cabbie in the city. She has explained that the numbers may soon increase to 100 as more women are coming forward to join this profession. They have the option to switch off the mobile app and attend to household chores. And, once free, can switch on the app to accept bookings.
Other operators like Ola are also encouraging women to join the profession.
Recruitment of women cab drivers is seen as an attempt by Uber to enhance its image which has been sullied by the rape incident last December and the recent molestation complaint.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Taxi strike in Kolkata opens the doors for Uber and Ola cabs

Taxi strikes are very common in Kolkata and the strikes catch the people unawares, especially those who arrive in the city by train or by flight. The taxi unions owe allegiance to different trade unions and, at the drop of a hat, they go off the streets.
The AITUC which is the CPI's trade union wing, has about 3,500 of the city's 35,000 taxis affiliated to it and they went off while other taxi unions supported their cause.
The latest such strike is about the encroachment of app cabs like Uber and Ola cabs who have entered the scene. They have become a viable option for the harassed people. But, they pose a challenge to the regular taxi services because of their easy availability – they do not need to come to taxi sands but can pick up the passenger from anywhere based on his call.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 12 June 2015.

The AITUC took full credit for the "successful strike". But, there is apprehension among the ranks of the drivers – they realize that app cabs are becoming a major threat and needs to be tackled. As a senior member of a taxi union has remarked - this is an issue that affects all of us irrespective of our political affiliations.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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