Pune’s private cab drivers, affiliated with various ride-hailing companies, are voicing their discontent, claiming that they are not receiving income in line with the newly-revised cab fares established by the Regional Transport Office (RTO) Pune.
According to Dr. Keshav Kshirsagar, President of the Indian Gig Workers Front & Baghtoy Rickshawala Association, Pune RTO, on January 4, 2024, set cab fares in accordance with the directives of the Khatua Committee, announcing rates for both AC and Non-AC cabs.
After a joint meeting post a gig worker’s strike on October 25, 2023, where the Pune District Collector presided, cab aggregator companies pledged to adjust incomes according to the auto-rickshaw meter rate if the administration provided the revised rates. The RTO Pune, in a subsequent meeting on January 4, 2024, directed the companies to implement the revised rates, to which they reportedly agreed within a week.
However, discontent persists among cab drivers, as the promised revisions have not been implemented by the companies.
Dr. Kshirsagar asserts that despite orders from the RTO, Pune District Collector, State Transport Commissioner, Central Government, and the Supreme Court, several established and new cab companies continue illegal operations without facing consequences from the authorities.
Expressing their frustration, cab drivers and various organizations held a meeting at Pune Airport, where they decided to initiate street protests if the companies fail to implement the RTO-fixed rates in the coming days.
