Ola and Uber drivers' association withdraw strike after meeting with Maharashtra Transport Minister Diwakar Raote

Bringing relief to thousands of commuters who use cab hailing services to make it to-and-fro from work and for virtually every other purpose, drivers' associations of Ola and Uber have withdrawn their strike in Maharashtra, which had been ongoing since October 22.

The Driver's associations of Bengaluru-based Ola and Gurgaon-headquartered (in India) UBER withdrew their long and debilitating strike on Friday evening after holding a meeting with Maharashtra Transport minister Diwakar Raote. A spokesperson for the association held a press conference after having a meeting with the politician and shared updates. He disclosed that the terms have been discussed and that most of them have been accepted as well. However, he added that the association has demanded that all pricing be inclusive against which the government has certain reservations. Nevertheless, the spokesperson concluded that inspite of these reservations, they are trying to ensure everyone's needs are met through constant dialogue. 

The spokesperson disclosed that Ola and Uber drivers had demanded an increase in prices and salaries to keep up with the steady rise in prices of Petrol and Diesel. The drivers' association has also proposed a revised method of calculation that is keeping in tune with the ever-fluctuating prices of fuel, which they will present in front of the state and Union governments. He added if this move increases the charge-per-kilometre, they are welcome to bring it in practice but added that government can't do much about the incentive that the drivers have received for Diwali this year. Regarding changes on that front, the spokesperson assured that a dialogue will be held again within 15 days. Finally, he stated that all the inconvenience caused to the drivers and the passengers so far and in the oncoming days is regretted. 

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For the uninitiated, almost 90% of the cabs from the two firms had gone on strike in the city forcing the public to use buses, trains, local taxi cabs and other means of transport.