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Two months after the strike in February, drivers of private cab aggregators Ola and Uber have decided to hit the road and protest on April 18, as their demands have remained unheard and
unfulfilled. The protest is largely against poor payments and long working hours. In an interesting development, rival _kaali-peeli_ taxi operators have also joined hands in the protest. An
estimated 1-5 lakh app-based taxis have decided not to operate on Tuesday and march from the Gurdwara Majnu ka Tilla to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in Civil Lines.
“Nothing has changed since our February protest. Drivers continue to slog for 16-18 hours daily and still are barely earning enough to eat and pay the car EMIs. Fares of registered city
taxis can only be fixed by the government, whereas, Ola-Uber still continue to levy their own rates,” said Kamaljeet Gill, president of the Sarvodaya Driver’s Association of Delhi to the
Hindustan Times. Tuesday’s protest has also received support from various other transport unions operating in the city. With all taxi options now vested in the protest, the city’s commuters
will face the crunch. In February, Ola-Uber drivers were promised that Rs 500 wouldn’t be imposed as a penalty in the case of refusal of duty. Additionally, they were promised a hike in
fares from the current rate of Rs 6 per kilometre. The drivers had also demanded incentives that they claim were promised upon the launch of the services in the city such as accident
insurance and a relaxation in working hours.