GUWHATAI: Cab drivers in Guwahati have temporarily called off their indefinite protest after Transport Department authorities on Wednesday assured them that their demands would be addressed within the next 14 days.
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According to drivers who attended the meeting, the Commissioner of Transport, Assam, has issued showcause notices to several cab aggregators over alleged violations and sought their responses within 14 days.
“We have decided to call off our protest for now. If our demands are not met after the 14-day period, we will start our protest again,” said Naren Saikia, a cab driver who attended Wednesday’s meeting.
The protest by app-based commercial four-wheelers, three-wheelers and two-wheelers in Guwahati entered its second day on Wednesday, September 2, over what drivers described as inadequate fares.
Members of the Guwahati Online Cab Drivers’ Society had announced the indefinite protest last week, citing rising fuel prices and increasing operating costs. The drivers said fares for app-based cab and bike services have remained largely unchanged for the past seven to eight years despite rising expenses.
Drivers associated with Ola, Uber and Rapido are demanding minimum fares of ₹25 per kilometre for hatchbacks and ₹30 per kilometre for sedans, along with cancellation and waiting charges.
The strike affected app-based cab, auto-rickshaw and bike services across Guwahati.