As #AutoStrike hits Mumbai today, commuters, school children worst affected

Mumbaikars will have to brace for another day-long strike of autos on Wednesday as another transport union has called for a bandh to protest against cab aggregators like Uber and Ola. [caption id=“attachment_2256982” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] Thousands of auto- rickshaws went off roads in the metropolis in response to a strike call, inconveniencing commuters in certain areas. The largest auto union in Mumbai, the Shashank Rao-led Mumbai Automen’s Union has called for a strike on 17 June demanding a ban on private taxi aggregators and seeking action on vehicles that can be called through call centres. This strike will not only inconvenience commuters travelling to nearby stations but also long distance travellers at the suburban stations and airports. The impact of the strike should be largely limited, as there will be pre-paid taxi services for commuters facing difficulty in reaching their destinations in the absence of autos. “It will be a token strike. The state government should look into our demands and take appropriate measures to resolve the issues. It’s affecting our businesses,” said Shashank Rao on Monday to PTI . However, the strike while held to protest cab aggregators, may end up benefitting them. Uber has already announced that they would not apply surge charge pricing in their fares on Wednesday to ensure that Mumbai’s citizens can get around the city seamlessly. They, however, warned that the lack of dynamic pricing could affect the availability of cars due to the increase in demand. Ola, however, has not announced any such move and a customer executive speaking to Firstpost confirmed that no such decision has been taken as yet. This comes a day after the private taxi firm’s fares had skyrocketed to three times the normal rates in order to capitalize their gains on the day of the strike. For Mumbai’s commuters the strike comes just two days after another taxi strike was called by a smaller union.