Drivers of app-based cab services like Ola, Uber and Rapido are on strike today on February 7, in what they are calling an ‘all India breakdown’, which they termed as “endless exploitation”. Drivers of Porter and other such transport apps are also part of it.
The union also demanded a strict ban on the use of private (non-commercial) vehicles for commercial passenger and goods transport. (Representative photo/Unsplash)The main point behind their decision was mentioned in their letter to Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, where a drivers’ union pointed out that there is no government-regulated fare structure for riders working for Ola, Uber, Rapido, Porter and other aggregator platforms that operate auto, cab and bike-taxis. Companies set these fares “unilaterally,” they said.
Follow up | Live updates of the strike situation
‘endless exploitation’This leads to “severe income insecurity, exploitation and unsustainable working conditions for millions of transport workers”, the union said.
The strike was called by drivers’ guilds including the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and other labor unions.
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TGPWU in its post on X said, “App-based transport workers across India will observe an all-India breakdown on 7 February 26. No minimum fare, no rules. Endless exploitation.”
The union called on the government to “act now”, saying millions of app-based drivers have been pushed into poverty while aggregators benefit.
What are the demands of transport workers? 2025 rules at the centerAppoint Principal: The letter to Union Minister Gadkari said the Motor Vehicle Aggregators Directive, 2025, talks about regulatory oversight, meaning a kind of government watchdog to ensure fare transparency and livelihood security of drivers. The union demanded that this measure, and other related rules and guidelines, be implemented.
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Indicate the minimum fare: It also asked for immediate notification of minimum base fare by central and state governments for app-based transport services. The TGPWU said these fares must be in line with the 2025 Directive guidelines, finalized in consultation with recognized drivers and labor unions. Such notification of base fare has been done for other types of taxis in the past.
Stop using private car taxis: The union also demanded a strict ban on the use of private (non-commercial) vehicles for commercial passenger and goods transport or alternatively, compulsory conversion of such vehicles into commercial category vehicles.
The companies are yet to comment on the immediate cause of the strike.
The strike comes two weeks after a strike by app-based food and general delivery workers on December 31, 2025, which was called off after companies such as Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart stopped advertising “10-minute deliveries” to reduce stress on workers.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha even raised their issues in the Rajya Sabha, while Zomato/Blinkit founder Deepinder Goyal tried to defend the companies’ policies.
