Mumbai: As the Ola-Uber drivers' strike entered its fourth day, Mumbai’s roads are witnessing more than just traffic jams; there’s growing public outrage. With app-based cabs nearly disappearing from the streets and Rapido services also affected, citizens are reporting shockingly inflated fares, long wait times, and sheer helplessness.
A tweet from MumbaiCitizenSR account on X captured the frustration succinctly, “Mumbai situation right now. Uber/Ola – on strike – drivers asking ₹1,000 for 6 km ride. Rapido on strike. But what does @CMOMaharashtra @BJP4UP do before the strike? Discontinue one saviour – Uber buses – so that common man cannot go to work. While illegal activities still rampant.”
The situation is further complicated by the suspension of Uber’s bus service, which had previously offered an affordable, app-based shared transportation solution to the working class. Its discontinuation just before the strike, citizens say, has left the common Mumbaikar with no safety net.
Despite a meeting between drivers and Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, no resolution has emerged, fuelling the protest further.
As citizens vent their frustration online, the silence from the state government has only intensified the criticism. Until the deadlock ends, it appears Mumbaikars must navigate not just traffic, but also a daily transport crisis and pay a steep price for it.
