# App taxi drivers in Odisha and MP strike for fixed fares 2026-08-17T04:56:07+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets App-based taxi drivers in two states have launched protests demanding government-regulated fares, rejecting the pricing systems of companies such as Ola, Uber, and Rapido. In Odisha, the Odisha Online Drivers United Forum has called for a state-wide bandh, citing unresolved grievances for 12 years. Forum president Dinabandhu Nayak said 21 smaller union groups support the strike, and odishatv.in reports. Ganeshwar Behera, zonal head, said drivers want a fixed price from the government. In Madhya Pradesh, the Sanyukta Morcha in Bhopal has announced a two-day strike from August 18, taking 3,500 taxis off the road, as per freepressjournal.in. Rajesh Kumar Nagle, general secretary of the Bhopal Taxi Drivers' Association, said current fares barely cover fuel, maintenance and loans. Both groups accuse aggregator companies of arbitrary pricing and warn of indefinite strikes if demands are not met. The Morcha will hold a sit-in protest in Bhopal on August 19 and submit a memorandum to the chief minister and transport minister. ## Coverage - odishatv.in - freepressjournal.in This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-18T00:51:27+00:00. Tags: Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Odisha, Ola, Rapido, Uber Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/odisha-online-taxi-drivers-protest-call-for-state-bandh/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/odisha-online-taxi-drivers-protest-call-for-state-bandh/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/