Bengaluru: Cab strike draws poor response

Bengaluru: A strike call given by cab drivers and owners associations on Wednesday failed to evoke any response as most drivers preferred to report to duty and cater to the high demand created due to Aero India 2017.

The strike was against various policies adopted by the  cab aggregators. These associations had hoped that due to the ongoing Aero India show the government would be prompt in considering their demands.

However on Wednesday the response was poor. All cab drivers attached to all the major cab aggregators were reported to duty. "Uber and Ola are the two major players in the city. Cabs were available for booking since early morning," explained an officer from the state transport department.

Radhakrishna Holla, President, Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owners' Association (BTTOA)  told Deccan Chronicle that his organisation had also extended support to the strike following the request from the organisers. "We even held a protest. But as Aero Show is one of the occasions when cabs are on high demand, most drivers turned up for the duty,' he said.

Cab pool to continue
Transport department sources revealed that car pool service will continue till the union government takes a decision in this regard. "As per the original decision cab aggregators were provided with 15 days time to shut their pooling services. But following the request by the aggregators that the union government is expected to bring changes to the existing law to allow cab pooling, we have decided to wait for the central legislation. Till then the service will continue, even though it is against the state law," informed a senior officer.