If the taxi unions are to be believed, yesterday's strike caused a loss of almost Rs 3.5 crore for taxi and autorickshaw owners, as over 55,000 taxis and over 1 lakh autos stayed off the roads. And of course the strike didn't leave commuters happy either.

Left with no other options, terribly overcrowded BEST buses greeted Mumbaikars when they stepped out for work yesterday morning. Most had to walk long distances to reach their offices, while others chose to cancel appointments. "I had to walk 30 minutes since there were no autos plying and buses were overcrowded. I took a bus from Bhandup to Chakala, but after that had no option but to walk, " said Loyta Naronha, an employee of HDFC Standard Life Insurance.

No relief

On the other side of the fence, the taxi drivers' plight also seemed no better. Neither the CM nor the deputy CM have agreed to rescind the order scrapping taxis older than 25 years or extend the deadline for their removal for which the unions have been fighting.

However, A L Quadros, president of Bombay Taximen's Union, claimed CM Vilasrao Deshmukh had agreed to consider their demand to allow taxis in the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region and grant soft loans for the purchase of new cabs. Sharad Rao, who had called for the strike, claimed Deputy CM R R Patil had told him that the government would have to wait till the HC decided on a PIL filed against the order scrapping older taxis.

Extra BEST buses

Meanwhile, BEST, as usual, filled the gap. BEST spokesperson A S Tamboli said, "Generally, 97 per cent of our fleet is on the roads, but we had 100 per cent presence on the roads during the strike. Nearly, 200 additional buses were pressed into service."

Cabs stoned

While the airport police arrested seven persons for rioting and stoning a taxi, the Bangur Nagar police registered a non-cognizable complaint after some unidentified men broke the glass of Meru cab. The cabbies in both cases escaped unhurt.

JCP K L Prasad said, "There were 10 cases of minor damages made to the vehicles in four places."