Now Reading: Bhopal taxi unions plan three-day protest and CM house gherao
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Bhopal taxi unions plan three-day protest and CM house gherao
Taxi drivers in Madhya Pradesh have called a statewide protest from August 18 to 20, including a gherao of the Chief Minister's residence in Bhopal, over what they call arbitrary fare policies…
The Story in Brief
Taxi drivers in Madhya Pradesh have called a statewide protest from August 18 to 20, including a gherao of the Chief Minister's residence in Bhopal, over what they call arbitrary fare policies by aggregator companies like Ola, Uber and Rapido. The unions, the Bhopal Taxi Drivers' Union (affiliated with the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh) and Taxi Union Kalyan Samiti Sarv Bharat, will first hold a rally on August 15 from Boat Club to Lalghati.
The drivers allege the state lacks a clear fare policy, letting aggregators set rates arbitrarily. They demand a government-approved structure: Rs 50, 60 base fare, Rs 1, 1.50 per minute, and Rs 22, 30 per kilometre depending on vehicle type. The unions also complain about unregistered bike taxis hurting their earnings. A previous three-day airport ride boycott in June led to only temporary fare revisions, the unions claim.
The Indian Opinion
This protest pits drivers who want a uniform fare board against app companies that prize dynamic pricing. The union's demand for a base fare of Rs 50, 60 and per-km charge of Rs 22, 30 may seem steep, but the companies' past pattern of revising fares only to revert them undermines trust in market solutions alone. A clear test will be whether the state government tables a specific fare formula before the August 20 deadline.
Source: freepressjournal.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
