Kerala: Flash strike over clash with online taxis

Kochi: The tussle between online taxi operators and the traditional auto, taxi drivers over potential business intensified on Friday with the latter going on a flash strike at Ernakulam Town and Junction railway stations, inconveniencing hundreds of commuters. It all began at 9.30 am when a Uber taxi driver reached the Ernakulam Town railway station to pick up a customer. There was an unofficial ban on online taxis preventing them from picking up customers, especially after the November 8 incident in which CITU district president K N Gopinath was attacked during a protest at Palarivattom against the online taxis.

“The traditional taxi drivers present at the station intercepted the Uber taxi and forcefully evicted the customer. They then got into a scuffle with the online taxi driver and damaged his vehicle’s side mirror. Cops were rushed in and three of the protesting traditional taxi drivers were arrested and their vehicles seized for creating a law and order issue,” police said. The North Police booked them on charges under section 341 IPC (punishment for wrongful restraint) and section 506 IPC (punishment for criminal intimidation).

Soon the traditional taxi and auto-drivers announced a flash strike at both the major railway stations in the city which caught commuters by surprise. Many were seen walking out of the stations with their bulky luggage. By 11.30 am, a protest march was conducted by nearly 400 traditional auto-taxi drivers from North bridge to the Commissioner’s office which was flagged off by Ali Akbar, Ernakulam district convener of the coordination committee of Kerala state motor transport workers Ali Akbar. The strike lasted till 4 pm and was withdrawn only after the cops released the arrested taxi drivers. The latter claimed that they were assaulted by cops in custody, a charge denied by the police.

MVD thinks of regulations on online taxis

With the dispute between online cabbies and traditional auto-taxi drivers continuing unabated, the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) is mulling bringing in regulations on the operation of the former. “There is no way we could prevent online application-based taxi services. However, here the main issue is over the low-hiring charges of the online taxis which is being opposed by the traditional autorickshaw and car drivers. Hence we propose to bring in certain terms and conditions like them mandatorily charging commuters a minimum fixed standard rate,” said Ernakulam Regional Transport Officer P.H. Sadiq Ali.

The proposals have been submitted to the Transport Department for consideration. “Such a regulation is already in effect in places like Bangalore. Usually corporate companies extending online taxi drivers through mobile application platforms offer rides at low fares till they build up a network and have significant vehicles operating under them. After that the fares are hiked. Regulations are aimed at curbing such practices too,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, the All Kerala Online Taxi Drivers Union (OTDU) on Friday moved a contempt of court case after one of its drivers who was allegedly threatened and assaulted by a group of traditional taxi drivers at the Ernakulam North railway station in the morning. “A recent court order directs the cops to take strict action against such attacks, but, in many cases, not even an FIR was registered. RTO officers are also targeting us. We demand that the government set up a Commission to study the problems of online and traditional taxi drivers and suggest amicable solutions,” said TRS Kumar, President, OTDU.