Karnataka taxi drivers demand amenities in hotels and resorts

Cab drivers in Karnataka face unsafe conditions while on duty, prompting demands for accommodation guidelines similar to Tamil Nadu.

:

“I sleep in my car for ten days straight while on duty because no rooms are provided in hotels and resorts for drivers,” said Prasanth Babu, a cab driver from Bengaluru.

This is not an isolated case. Most taxi drivers on outstation trips spend their nights inside the car since hotels, resorts, and homestays do not offer them accommodation.

“During the 15 years I have been driving, only a few passengers have been considerate to book a room for us. Most customers don’t care, and we end up sleeping in the car. Hotels and resorts don’t even provide separate toilets for us, so we have to use public toilets,” Mr. Babu added.

Recently, in Madikeri, Kodagu, a large tree fell on a taxi parked at a prominent resort. Though the driver was inside the car, fortunately, he was unharmed. Following this incident, cab drivers at the resort protested against the resort’s poor treatment of drivers.

Prithvi Raj, a cab driver present at the resort, said, “We are made to park our cars in unsafe areas, despite Kodagu being known for heavy rains that can cause trees to fall at any time. The resort staff are putting our lives at risk.” He added, “The washrooms and toilets provided are in terrible condition and unusable. The area where we park the car is near the garbage, and there are mosquitoes. It’s an inhumane way of treating us.”

Given all these incidents of ill-treatment of cab drivers, the Karnataka State Travel Operators’ Association has now demanded that the government implement guidelines similar to those in Tamil Nadu, which require hotels, resorts, and homestays to provide amenities for their guests’ drivers.