Mumbai: A section of more than 104,000 autorickshaws went off the road yesterday to demand a fare hike — causing huge inconvenience to Mumbaikars who have been fighting a persistent battle with auto drivers for tampering with their vehicles' meters.
This is the second time the drivers have gone on strike in two weeks with members of the Mumbai Autorickshaw Men's Union led by trade unionist Sharad Rao holding protests near the transport commissioner's office in suburban Bandra. The protest march resulted in traffic jams on the Western Expressway, adding to more delays for people trying to reach their workplaces. Although the autos were back on the roads by the evening, commuters had to grapple all day long with overcrowded buses and trains, with many preferring to walk from their homes to railway stations.
Rao, who says he did not call for a strike but only asked the autodrivers to participate in the protest march, had earlier said that the fare hike should go up by six rupees (Dh0.5) for the minimum fare to start at 17 rupees (Dh1.26). In fact, the union wants a fare hike that will ensure the drivers earn 25,000 rupees (Dh1,863) a month. Rao's union also wants more share autos in the suburbs, pre-paid autos outside Borivili station, Bandra Terminus and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus as well as at the airport.
This is the second time the drivers have gone on strike in two weeks with members of the Mumbai Autorickshaw Men's Union led by trade unionist Sharad Rao holding protests near the transport commissioner's office in suburban Bandra. The protest march resulted in traffic jams on the Western Expressway, adding to more delays for people trying to reach their workplaces. Although the autos were back on the roads by the evening, commuters had to grapple all day long with overcrowded buses and trains, with many preferring to walk from their homes to railway stations.
Rao, who says he did not call for a strike but only asked the autodrivers to participate in the protest march, had earlier said that the fare hike should go up by six rupees (Dh0.5) for the minimum fare to start at 17 rupees (Dh1.26). In fact, the union wants a fare hike that will ensure the drivers earn 25,000 rupees (Dh1,863) a month. Rao's union also wants more share autos in the suburbs, pre-paid autos outside Borivili station, Bandra Terminus and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus as well as at the airport.
