Ahmedabad Rickshaw-Taxi Strike Gets Mixed Response

AHMEDABAD :  A four-day “Rozgar Bachao” bandh by Ahmedabad’s rickshaw and taxi drivers against online platforms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido began with a mixed response on Monday, even as union members took to the streets to enforce the shutdown and tensions erupted at some locations.

Several organisations, including Ahmedabad Rickshaw Drivers’ Unity, have announced the bandh from midnight until September 10, claiming that repeated representations to the authorities over fares and online taxi operations have failed to resolve their concerns.

The unions have claimed support from nearly 3 lakh rickshaw and 70,000 taxi drivers. However, many vehicles were seen operating in different parts of the city, indicating a lukewarm response to the strike.

At Ranip bus station, the protest briefly turned contentious when a rickshaw driver allegedly used a stick to force passengers out of a vehicle. Police reached the spot after the incident, while union members attempted to stop other rickshaws and persuade drivers to join the bandh.

Passengers said the disruption was creating difficulties for people commuting to work.

“We were let down from the rickshaw halfway and now we have to walk to work,” said passenger Maniben. She added that a prolonged strike could cause significant hardship for daily commuters.

Drivers, meanwhile, maintained that their livelihoods were under pressure from online platforms and rising operating costs.

Rickshaw driver Ashish Gamiti said, “Gas prices are continuously increasing, while fares are not increased through the online application. With such an income, it has become difficult even to run the household.”

Another driver, Indravijay Singh Vaghela, alleged that online platforms were offering fares below government-prescribed rates. “The government fare has been increased to Rs 20-25, but only Rs 10-12 is given through online applications,” he claimed.

The unions are demanding an immediate ban on what they describe as illegal two-wheeler taxi services operating through online platforms and implementation of fares according to government norms.

The unions had submitted a representation to the Transport Commissioner in Gandhinagar on August 27 and launched a poster campaign the following day. With no favourable response, they escalated the agitation into the four-day bandh.

The mixed response, however, suggests that maintaining a complete shutdown across Ahmedabad could prove challenging, while commuters face uncertainty if the protest intensifies in the coming days.