Cabs and auto rickshaw services were disrupted in New Delhi on Thursday with around 15 driver unions launching a two-day strike.
Cabs and auto rickshaws went off the roads with drivers protesting against falling earnings from cab aggregator platforms such as Uber and Ola.
“Earnings have reduced after the platforms increased their commissions and decreased driver incentives…we have approached the central and state governments to protect our livelihood but there has been no relief,” said Kishan Verma, president, Delhi Auto Taxi Transport Union Congress.
The 15 unions on strike represent over 400,000 taxi and auto rickshaw drivers in the national capital.
Verma also flagged the introduction of bike taxis and e-rickshaws on these platforms hurting the business of auto rickshaws and taxis.
A two-day disruption in Delhi could have significant impact on the business of platforms such as Ola and Uber, for whom the national capital is an important market in terms of customer base.
Over the last few years, Ola and Uber have seen multiple rival platforms emerge in the four wheeler taxi space, including WestBridge Capital-backed Rapido, Google-backed Namma Yatri, EV ride hailing firm BluSmart and InDrive.
