Ola, Uber and other app-based transport drivers’ strike: What are their demands and why are they protesting?

App-based taxi and auto drivers strike nationwide, demanding fair fares and better working conditions amid exploitation by companies.

App-based transport workers, including drivers and delivery workers associated with major platforms such as Ola, Uber, Rapido, Porter, and other app-based transport services, announced an all-India strike on Saturday (February 7, 2026) to protest falling incomes and increasing exploitation in the platform transport sector. The transport workers also raised their demand for immediate redress regarding panic button installations in the applications. The strike is likely to impact lakhs of commuters in Tier-1, Tier-2, and metro cities across the country.

The protest call was given by Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT), involving thousands of drivers employed in cab-hailing and quick-delivery platforms.

Speaking to PTI, Keshav Kshirsagar, head of Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha, said the strike began across Maharashtra and other parts of the country in the morning. Most autorickshaw and taxi drivers have supported the strike, Mr. Kshirsagar said.

Karnataka App-based Workers Union (KAWU), which too announced its participation in the All-India strike, had written to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and State Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy to immediately notify minimum base fares for app-based transport services, and to prohibit usage of non-commercial vehicles for commercial transport. “Without regulated base fares for transport services, aggregator companies can unilaterally set fare prices, and riders and drivers are left in precarious, unstable, and exploitative working conditions. This includes, but is not limited to, workers on platforms such as Ola, Uber, Porter, and Rapido,” the union’s letter notes.

President of TGPWU and co-founder national general secretary of IFAT Shaik Salauddin said the protest is to demand Central and State Government-notified minimum base fares for Ola, Uber, Rapido and other aggregators such as autos, cabs and bike taxis-set with driver unions. This is pushing millions of app-based drivers into poverty while aggregators continue to draw the profit.

Addressing a letter to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, IFAT and TGPWU pressed the demand for government-notified minimum base fares for app-based transport services. “In the absence of government-regulated fare structures, aggregator companies continue to unilaterally fix fares, leading to severe income security, exploitation, and unsuitable working conditions for millions of transport workers. The Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, clearly mandate regulatory oversight, fare transparency, and protection of driver livelihoods, which must be effectively implemented through enforceable Central and State-level notifications,” the letter noted.