Autorickshaw drivers are planning a state-wide strike, which will likely disrupt auto services in Bengaluru. The strike was called by 21 auto-driver unions and will last 24 hours. The strike is being organised by the Bangalore Auto Drivers’ Federation to protest ‘illegal’ bike taxis and whiteboard taxi operations in the city.
The union has one of the largest memberships of autorickshaw drivers in the state capital of Karnataka. The drivers of autorickshaws will also march from Bengaluru City Railway Station to the Chief Minister’s House.
This isn’t the first time the union has demanded a ban for bike taxis, because they claim to threaten the livelihoods of autorickshaw drivers. The strike is expected to engage a number of autorickshaws and their drivers off the roads, according to union sources.
“We will observe a 24-hour strike starting from Sunday midnight. Our agitation is against the illegal operation of bike taxis operating in the city,” Manjunath told PTI.
He claimed the state transport department viewed bike taxis as illegal but yet the drivers are operating on the city roads with impunity.
The union has urged the state government to ban the use of bike taxi services provided by mobile app-based aggregators in the city. Drivers claim that aggregators are luring young people to use their “illegal” bike taxi services by putting whiteboards on two-wheelers (intended for personal use) without obtaining any license from the transport department.