Thiruvananthapuram: A week after a Mumbai-based tourist alleged harassment by local taxi drivers in Kerala’s Munnar for using Uber ride-hailing app, the state is witnessing a spurt in clashes between app-based drivers and traditional cab operators.
Multiple app-based taxi drivers ThePrint spoke to said the issue has always existed in isolation, but such cases have seen a rise over the past week after Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar said online taxi services are operating illegally in Kerala.
Ganesh Kumar said 8 November that apart from Rapido, no app-based aggregators operating in Kerala have sought permission from the state government. He later clarified, however, that there are no restrictions on app-based cab aggregators in the state.
The minister was responding after the Mumbai tourist alleged in her social media post that she was harassed by local taxi drivers for booking an Uber cab during her trip to Munnar.
Also Read: Ola & Uber to soon have a new competitor as 8 cooperatives take the wheel. All about Bharat Taxi
Cases on rise
In one such incident, a video surfaced online showing a group of drivers forcibly stopping an Uber cab in Calicut, leading to a scuffle. Amid rising incidents of harassment and even assaults, various online taxi drivers’ unions held a strike in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, seeking government intervention.
According to the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2020, issued by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), a license from the state government is mandatory for business operations by aggregators.
“When we pick up customers from hospitals or railway stations, the taxi drivers create trouble for us. If we pick it up from a house, it’s fine. Otherwise, they won’t let us,” said Aby K.M, an Uber driver based in Kochi.
He said the issues in Munnar have been ongoing for years, with local drivers harassing app-based drivers unless customers stand firm. Sometimes, taxi drivers allegedly book cabs through apps themselves and threaten the drivers once they arrive at the pickup point. Many of these local drivers, he claimed, are associated with the ruling LDF and enjoy police support.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Taxi Drivers Organisation (KTDO), one of the unions representing traditional taxi drivers, said they oppose app-based services to prevent the exploitation of their drivers themselves.
“We know they are also drivers like us, and we are not against them. But they are being exploited by these companies, and we are forced to stop them. It will also help local taxis,” said KTDO state secretary Babulayan.
He added the minister should clarify the state’s stand on cab aggregators.
The ambiguity in Kerala mirrors that in Goa, where the state government in June this year published draft rules for the entry of app-based cab aggregators, but backtracked after protests from local drivers.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant then said the state government will only allow local app-based taxis and not those from outside. The unions there alleged that such apps allowed outsiders to dominate the sector, reducing the incomes of local operators.
What Kerala government says
Kerala’s Motor Vehicles Department’s Joint Transport Commissioner K. Manoj Kumar told ThePrint the department is conducting an online meeting with Uber on state licensing. “For the platforms that have not secured a licence to operate in Kerala, we will be sending notices soon,” he said.
Kumar added the state has always seen friction between traditional and online taxi services.
Demand rises for ‘Kerala Savari’ app
While the tussle over aggregator permissions continues, both traditional and online taxi drivers say the state government’s intervention or promotion of its own ‘Kerala Savari’ app could be a solution.
The Kerala government launched the ‘Kerala Savari’ app in 2022 to help both drivers and riders. Operated by the Motor Workers Welfare Board under the Labour Department, it aims to ensure drivers are not charged commissions and that fares were fixed by the state. However, the app failed to gain traction due to usability issues.
The government launched an upgraded version, ‘Kerala Savari 2.0’, in May this year, to be managed by ‘Namma Yatri’, the popular Bengaluru-based ride-hailing platform. However, it has not yet gained wide usership in the state.
J.J. Russel, an Uber driver from Thiruvananthapuram who participated in Tuesday’s protest, said the government app could solve the issue. He added that many drivers now opposing aggregators had earlier used apps such as Uber and Ola but stopped when incentives were reduced.
“They are asking everyone to boycott to pressure these companies to raise incentives. But if 10 people quit, more join,” Russel said, adding that hooliganism won’t stop until the government intervenes.
A Motor Vehicles Department official said the Kerala Savari app currently has around 25,000 registered drivers and that the state government plans to promote it through media and theatres.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: Gig dream is fading for Uber, Ola drivers. They are forming picket lines & support groups