Cabbies stop airport rides seeking higher fares and bike app removal

Nagpur: Cab services to and from the city airport were paralysed on Tuesday after drivers launched a ‘no pick-up, no drop' strike, blocking entry of taxis at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport.Demanding higher fares and restrictions on bike taxis, the agitators stopped cabs from entering the airport premises. Passengers were forced to walk nearly a kilometre in the scorching heat or cough up Rs 50 for e-rickshaw ride to the terminal.Drivers said their long-pending demands had been ignored. "We have no choice. If inconvenience to fliers draws attention, so be it. Let the high-flying class feel the pain, maybe it will prompt someone to bother about the poor cab drivers," said Deepak Sane, leader of Taxi Chalak Malak Sanyukt Kruti Samiti, which represents drivers associated with app-based platforms.Sane said drivers currently earn between Rs9 and Rs15 per km and demanded a minimum fare of Rs28 per km. He also called for the regulation or removal of bike taxis, alleging they were eating into cab operators' earnings. "Anyone with a bike can join these platforms. Around 15,000 bike rides happen daily, impacting our business. While we must comply with RTO norms, there is no such norm for bike taxis," he said.The strike began at midnight, with drivers halting airport-bound bookings. Even taxis not part of the protest were stopped at entry points. On Tuesday afternoon, police reached the spot and warned against obstructing vehicles, but the drivers remained firm, threatening to continue indefinitely if their demands were not met.Stranded passengers expressed frustration. "I had to get down and walk. Luckily, I had minimal luggage," said Rajesh Jitkar, who was headed to Mumbai. Another passenger vented his anger on social media after he was asked to get off the cab. Passengers at the arrival terminal had to walk down till the parking spot where some of the offline taxis stood. None of the drivers are accepting bookings on the app, said one of the agitators' representatives at the airport.Sane claimed paid e-rickshaws were stationed near the entry for those unwilling to walk.Plan for drivers' own app stalledA year ago, the union proposed launching its own app to reduce dependence on aggregators. A presentation was made to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) seeking support, but the plan failed to progress due to funding and technical constraints, Sane said.
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