Kolkata, July 26 -- App-based cab services, including Ola, Uber, Rapido and inDrive, are likely to be disrupted across the city on Monday, July 27 after the CITU-affiliated Kolkata Ola Uber App Cab Operators and Drivers Union called a 12-hour "offline day" from 6 am to 6 pm to press for its 11-point charter of demands.
The union has appealed to drivers to remain offline throughout the day.
A rally is scheduled to begin from Ramleela Park in Moulali at 11 am and proceed to the state Transport Department, where the protesters plan to submit a memorandum if permitted.
The drivers are demanding a revision of app-cab fares, an end to non-AC fare bookings for AC cabs, a ban on the commercial use of private cars and motorcycles, adequate CNG supply in Kolkata, changes to the pollution certification process for commercial vehicles and action on issues related to fare structure, platform commissions, police harassment and driver welfare.
A woman driver associated with the union said one of the major issues was the Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD). She claimed many existing devices had become non-functional and could no longer be recharged, while installing a new unit costs around Rs 14,000. She also alleged that drivers operating AC cabs were paying taxes applicable to AC vehicles but were being assigned non-AC bookings, resulting in lower fares.
A union leader said the organisation had been raising the demands with the previous state government for a long time and had also submitted them to the present government.
"As there has been no resolution, we will go ahead with the offline day as scheduled. We appeal to all app-cab drivers to keep their vehicles offline and join the protest rally at 11 am," he said.
The protest is expected to affect commuters during office hours, though the extent of the disruption will depend on the number of drivers participating in the strike.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.