Bhubaneswar: Commuters across Odisha, particularly in twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Kataka, faced severe travel disruptions on Monday amid a 12-hour statewide bandh and an indefinite “Zero Supply” agitation by online cab and bike taxi drivers.
Odisha Online Drivers’ United Forum, alongside the United Committee of all Online and Offline Drivers’ Associations and backed by 21 smaller unions, are pressing the state government and ride-hailing aggregators to address longstanding disputes over fair pay, regulated fare caps, and basic job security.
In response to the disruption in services on major platforms including Ola, Uber, Rapido, and Odisha Yatri, the Police Commissionerate Bhubaneswar-Cuttack issued a public assistance directive. To mitigate severe hardship for commuters, law enforcement authorities announced that PCR vehicles stationed at the airport will assist passengers, specifically offering transportation from the airport to hospitals in medical emergency situations. Passengers in urgent need are requested to approach the stationed PCR units for safe and reliable transit.
The drivers’ associations have outlined a 7-Point Charter of Demands targeted at ride-aggregating companies and regulatory authorities:
Fixed Fare Structure: A mandatory lower and upper limit on fares jointly set by the government and companies, with any promotional discounts absorbed entirely by the aggregator rather than deducted from driver payouts.
Stop Arbitrary Account Suspension: An immediate end to unilateral account blocking without prior investigation or fees charged for reactivation, alongside the unblocking of previously suspended accounts.
Compensation for Traffic Delays: Payment provisions compensating drivers for time lost while stuck in severe traffic congestions.
Fair Waiting Charges: Structured fare additions for time spent waiting while passengers run personal errands, shop, or visit pharmacies.
Full Cancellation Fee Transfer: Mandating that the complete cancellation fee collected by aggregators for rides canceled after a driver travels 2–3 km be passed directly to the driver to offset fuel losses. “If a customer cancels a ride after the driver has already travelled 2–3 km, the company collects a cancellation fee but does not pass it on to the driver. This causes financial loss, including fuel costs. The entire cancellation fee must be given to the driver”, read their demand.
Mandatory Physical Offices: Requiring every registered app-based platform to establish and maintain a permanent physical office within Odisha to curb exploitation by intermediaries.
Vehicle Onboarding Caps: A cap on annual vehicle registrations to prevent market oversupply and protect existing driver earnings.