Auto and Taxi unions call off strike, after Maharashtra govt assures fare hike

The auto and taxi unions in the city have withdrawn their call  after the government assured them of a fare hike. The unions have demanded a minimum fare hike of Rs 2 for autos and Rs 3 for taxis in the city from October 1, 2022

The final call will be taken after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) meeting on Monday said state minister Uday Samant, who met rickshaw and taxi unions at Mantralaya. Initially the union had demanded a revision of the minimum taxi fare from ₹25 to ₹35 for 1.5 km. But state transport minister Uday Samant said they had requested the taxi-auto unions to not be adamant about such a steep hike. “Given that people are recovering from the pandemic, this steep hike would have inflicted an unfair burden on the common folk, and they accepted our point of view,” Samant told after the meeting.

Sources said the government was also keen on promoting women drivers, especially for kaali-peeli taxis, and this too was discussed at Friday's meeting. At present, there are women auto drivers in the suburbs and the neighbouring Thane.

The unions had already deferred their strike on minimum price hike twice earlier. AL Quadros, general secretary, Mumbai Taximen’s Union, confirmed that they have decided to withdraw the strike after the state government approved their demands for a fare hike.