Fewer Cabs in Delhi as Cabbies Protest Killing of Ola Driver

Commuters travelling from Delhi to Gurgaon had a hard time finding cabs as many drivers stayed off the roads in protest against the alleged killing of an Ola driver. 

(Photo: Reuters)

Commuters travelling from Delhi to Gurgaon had a hard time finding cabs on Tuesday, 27 March, as many drivers stayed off the roads in protest against the alleged killing of an Ola driver on Sunday.

The body of Hari Narayan was found in Alipur a day after he had left from Noida. Police said that they are awaiting his post-mortem report and were trying to identify the accused.

Demanding better safety measures for them, some drivers staged a protest in Gurgaon on Tuesday and stopped some cabs plying on the roads.

Geeta Sharma, who takes a cab from Delhi to Gurgaon, said, "I booked five cabs but the drivers asked me to cancel since they were scared to go to Gurgaon because of the protest. Somehow, I managed to convince the sixth driver to take me to Gurgaon".

Another commuter said, "The charges for going to Gurgaon were higher than usual. Usually I get a cab for a fare of Rs 450 but today the fares were showing higher even during non-peak hours". In a statement, Ola demanded action against those stopping cabs from plying on the roads.

Interest of our driver partners and customer convenience are of paramount importance to us. We have heard of a few incidents where errant driver partners are trying to disrupt commute by forcibly stopping cabs from plying on the roads. We urge the local police to take action against these miscreants.

Ola spokesperson

Uber India said they have taken several measures to ensure safety of drivers and riders and regretted the inconvenience caused to the commuters.

"We stand by our riders and driver partners and regret the disruption caused to our rider and driver community by a small group of individuals. We remain committed to serving the city, ensuring driver partners can continue to access stable earning opportunities, while giving riders a convenient option to get around their city", Uber India said in a statement.