Issue for the commuters-Strike call by Uber and Ola drivers in Delhi NCR

Starting from Tuesday-September 1, 2020 Uber-Ola drivers announce a strike call, in response to the ignorance by the government to meet their demands for the extension of suspension on loan repayment. They also demand an increment in the fare price keeping in mind the current COVID-19 pandemic situation at hand.

A strike call rises when other transportation facilities such as the Delhi metro are not functional, and the public buses are running at a small passenger capacity.

In a statement given by Kamaljeet Singh- the president of Sarvodaya Driver’s Association of Delhi, he claims that the strike call has been given by approximately 2 lakh drivers. He also quotes “Due to financial crisis caused by lockdown, drivers are unable to pay their EMIs. The moratorium of loan repayment ended today, and banks are directly putting pressure on us. Drivers are scared that banks will tow away their vehicles for not paying EMIs.” The Sarvodaya Driver’s Association of Delhi is a coalition of the Uber and Ola drivers.

This strike call aims to demand an augmentation in the moratorium of loan repayment, as the drivers are facing a financial crisis due to the pandemic. On Monday, Gill also stated- “Most of the drivers are finding it difficult to feed their families at this time and have no means to fulfil their financial obligations. Unless the government helps us, there is no way we can work without fear of losing our vehicles”.

The drivers also put forward the demand for the abolition of e-challans, for speeding, that are issued against their cabs, as seen in the flyers generated by them. While traveling from Delhi and NCR locations to destination sin Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida, and Ghaziabad, the drivers also demand a hike in the commission price they receive from their cab aggregators.

As of now, the action is yet to be taken by the drivers on the strike call. Himachal Bhawan, Mandi House is the location where all drivers are required to assemble as part of their strike call. The idea is to seek quick actions by the government in response to their demands.