The Kaali Peeli taxis and autorickshaws are back in demand as more people prefer hailing these vehicles on the road than getting refused multiple times by app-based aggregator cabs and autos. Also, waiting time for aggregators is 15-30 minutes while riders also complain about ‘unavailability’ of these cabs and autos in many areas.
According to members of cab unions, the number of aggregator cabs on roads dropped by at least 20% after Covid as many couldn’t get back with cabs being confiscated for non-payment of loan EMIs and drivers switching to other professions for a living. The numbers are further declining, resulting in shortage of cabs and many driver partners finding the business unviable, they said.
Marketing professional Akhilesh Chauhan, who would regularly take aggregator cabs, said he finds it frustrating to book a cab and prefers a Kaali Peeli taxi which is “more reliable”. “When the app-based cab services began in 2014, there were incentives to riders and cabs would arrive in four to five minutes. But after Covid, we have found drivers first asking about destination and then cancelling rides. Now, aggregator firms have introduced a feature wherein the driver gets to know your destination at the time of booking and has the right to refuse immediately,” he pointed out, adding that he has switched to Kaali Peelis to travel across island city for work.
Another rider, Seema Deb, who depended largely on aggregator autos in the suburbs for short or long trips, said she was unable to get a single auto on three occasions in Kandivali during the rains. “I could conveniently hail an auto on the road and travel to my destination, while saving money on the fare,” she recalled. Another rider, Virat Singh, said: “The waiting time for cab booking leaves you fuming and you may miss your flight. Now, I prefer taking Metro line 7 from western suburbs to Gundavali and then catch a normal auto to T1 airport to board a flight.”
On the contrary, a statement issued by Uber to Mumbai Mirror mentioned: “With Covid now firmly in the rear view mirror, more people are using Uber platform to get around Mumbai than ever before. We are seeing rapid and continued growth across all our travel options in the city. Just last week we launched Uber Green, adding to momentum in the four-wheeled category, while trips on Uber auto continue to grow exponentially as Mumbaikars realise the convenience and safety that Uber brings to this much-loved travel option.” A source from Uber said that auto trips on the Uber platform have grown more than 2.5x compared to pre-Covid levels. Ola officials were yet to provide comments after this newspaper approached them for a version.
Activist A V Shenoy begs to differ. “In the suburbs, there is a maximum drop of app-based cabs on the road. I am unable to book any hatchback cabs for travel. A few months ago, I was stranded for one-and-half hours in Thane because there were refusals by aggregator cabs and no autos were available at night.”
MNS state vice-president Mahesh Jadhav, who had taken up the issue of aggregator cabs and riders with the state government in the past, admitted that in many areas, the business of Kaali Peeli taxis was going up while aggregator cab numbers were falling. “Also, the middle-class cannot afford expensive surge fares (over INR 1,000 a trip) lately,” he added.
A driver partner for Uber cab, who requested anonymity, said: “It is a fact that the number of cabs has come down as many of my friends have left the profession after Covid pandemic in 2020-21. Most of us are also not happy with the earnings as we have a huge commission deducted from every trip and are not compensated for the long waiting time in traffic jams.”
