Drivers’ strike: Uber agrees to talks

Drivers want base fare to be increased to Rs 100 from Rs 30-35 currently. Representation pic

As the five-day ultimatum that the city drivers gave to their respective companies providing ride-hailing services ended on Monday, Uber reached out for talks. It has invited Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's transport wing, which has been coordinating with the firms on drivers' behalf, for negotiations on April 2.

"We have received an email from Uber, but there has been no response from any other app-cab companies yet. We are following up," said Sudhir Borge, the state secretary of MNS Transport Sena.

"We have also called on Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab and informed him about the seriousness of the issue. The spiralling fuel prices, the rising cost of living, vehicle maintenance, loan costs, etc, are making the average driver suffer. The state government should follow pointers from the Central Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020 and rationalise the fares," he said.

Ola and Uber drivers in Delhi and NCR started the ‘Go Offline' strike last week demanding an increase in the base fare, and soon many in Mumbai joined the agitation. However, on March 24, some city drivers put their strike on hold and asked the companies to fulfil their demands within five days. They submitted a list of demands, which also included withdrawal of cases against drivers, action against fake bookings, equal structure of pick-up and non-pickup fares.