Post Covid, here’s why there are fewer cabs on Bengaluru roads

Prakash’s concerns are valid. According to Tanveer Pasha, president of Ola and Uber drivers’ association in Bengaluru, only around 30,000 cabs are on the roads today as compared to the 1 lakh-odd cabs that were in the city during the pre-Covid times.

Around 50 per cent cab drivers have not returned back from their hometown after the pandemic, says Pasha. “Driving a cab is no longer feasible for them due to rising fuel prices, high commission to be paid to cab aggregators and the high cost of living in the city. Cab drivers are unable to pay their EMIs so most of them have sold their cars and returned to their hometowns,” he says.

Pasha says cab aggregators are to blame as they charge high commissions despite the increase in fuel prices. “A cab driver pays 30 per cent commission to the cab aggregators, which includes GST. They are blood-suckers. Now, no one is ready to take up the job of a cab driver,” he alleges.

Cab aggregators Ola and Uber did not respond immediately to issues faced by commuters and drivers.

Apart from this, many cabs have been seized by loan lenders and banks for non-payment of EMIs. “It is normal for banks to seize vehicles if the loan is not paid. Usually, in -pre-Covid times, we used to see 20 vehicles being seized in a day. But this year, we have seen an unprecedented 200 vehicles seized every day,” says G Narayana Swamy, president of Karnataka Chalaka Okkuta, a cab drivers’ association.

This has led to drivers logging off the platform and this has directly impacted commuters, leading to non-availability of cabs, repeated cancellations and long waits.

Another regular cab user said that the drivers are now refusing to turn on the AC despite taking ‘Prime cabs’. “When we ask drivers to switch on the AC as the weather in the city is very hot, they give reasons like Covid but this is to save fuel. Drivers also ask if I am paying by cash or online before deciding whether to cancel the ride. If I say online, they cancel the ride,” says Madhuri Rao, a regular cab user.

Last month, Uber had raised trip fares by 10 per cent in Bengaluru to help cushion drivers from the impact of the recent fuel price hike. Ola is yet to take a decision on hiking fares.