18% auto, cab drivers fail Marathi test in Mumbai

The Maharashtra transport department's crackdown on Marathi proficiency for auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers continued for a second day across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), with 722 of 3,942 drivers failing the test and receiving one-month show-cause notices, a failure rate of 18%. Outside the MMR, 777 of 5,211 drivers failed, a rate of about 15%. Sources told Times of India that within Greater Mumbai, the failure rate was around 25-30%.

The enforcement has led to disruptions. More than half of auto drivers were reportedly off the roads on Monday, stranding commuters on feeder routes to railway stations. A section of autorickshaw drivers began a three-day strike, blocking Kandivli Link Road, with protesters saying the mandate puts an additional financial burden on older, uneducated drivers. Many drivers are also changing routes to avoid RTO checks, using WhatsApp groups to share enforcement locations, Times of India reports.

Drivers who received notices say they lack access to training facilities, as RTO-run Marathi classes have stopped. Mumbai Rickshawmen's Union leader Thampy Kurien told Times of India that a group of drivers plans to approach the high court, challenging the notices for lack of adequate training infrastructure. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said the aim is not to deprive anyone of employment but to ensure effective communication with passengers. Drivers who fail to clear a re-test within a month face licence suspension.