17 July,2025 11:01 PM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
The protesting cab drivers alleged that the cab driver took the extreme step as he was unable to pay the EMIs. Pic/Arranged by Rajendra B. Aklekar
Ola and Uber drivers further intensified their protests on Thursday after a 46-year-old Ola driver reportedly died by suicide on Wednesday in Nalasopara in Palghar district of Maharashtra.
Cab drivers alleged that the aggregator cab companies were introducing arbitrary policies, leading to huge financial losses and pushing drivers into poverty.
They claimed the cab driver took the extreme step as he was unable to pay the EMIs on his cab loan.
Ola and Uber drivers has been protesting since Tuesday, vowing to further intensify their protest until the state government gives them a concrete assurance.
Earlier, Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha president Keshav Nana Kshirsagar, who is spearheading the agitation, had said, "We have been protesting for our rights and will continue to do so. Today, we are not sitting at Azad Maidan but are spread out across Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, and other cities, enforcing the strike by stopping cabs and autos. About 90 per cent of cabs were off the roads today."
Drivers and workers of Ola, Uber, Zomato, Swiggy, and other aggregator companies have been protesting for the past few days against the âinjustice' meted out to them by these platforms. Many protesters took to the streets, forcing passengers to get down from cabs and autos at several locations across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune, Nagpur, and other cities.
Their five key demands include: Rationalisation of fares, parity of fares with metered cabs, a firm 'no' to bike taxis, a cap on cab and auto permits, activation of the welfare board for cab and taxi drivers, along with the implementation of the Maharashtra Gig Workers' Act.
Airport advisory
In light of ongoing protests in the state, passengers travelling via #MumbaiAirport are advised to check transport availability and plan alternative arrangements in advance.
