Drivers attached to cab aggregators Uber and Ola are seeking more than their predictable demand of tariff hike. They have asked the app operators to allot rides only to the passengers who have verified their Aadhaar details with them. Why? Because they believe they need to be protected from unruly passengers.
The union of Ola and Uber drivers has warned of a protest on October 22 outside Uber's office in Kurla over a set of demands. One of these relates to passengers' Aadhaar linkage with the ride-hailing apps, even though the Supreme Court has clarified that it is not mandatory for citizens to have Aadhaar card.
A statement released by Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgaar Sangh (MRRKS) reads, 'Only those passengers who are Aadhaar-verified should be allowed to book a cab'.
"We only want the phone numbers of passengers to be registered after being verified with Aadhaar. In case of any untoward incident involving the driver and passenger, it should be possible to hold the latter accountable as well," said Prashant Savdrekar, head of Ola-Uber unit, MRRKS.
The union also wants the aggregators to refrain from blacklisting drivers solely on the basis of complaints by passengers, without being granted a fair chance to explain themselves.
The union has also demanded a tariff hike in the wake of the rising fuel prices. They want the 'Go' segment to be charged as Rs 18 for a km after the base rate; Rs 20 per km for sedans; and Rs 23 for SUVs. This is Rs 2-3 more than existing fares, which fluctuate wildly due to dynamic pricing, surging fourfold sometimes.
Uber and Ola refused to comment on the matter.
