Mumbai: Passengers arriving at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) faced minor disruptions on Tuesday after a section of app-based cab drivers staged a sudden work stoppage, protesting against aggregator policies and demanding immediate regulatory intervention on fare structures. While flight operations remained unaffected, arriving travelers at Terminal-2 (T2) encountered longer-than-usual wait times, sparse vehicle availability at dedicated pickup bays and surging ride-hailing fares.
Drivers Restrict Bookings At Airport Pickup Zone
The agitation was primarily observed by drivers operating in and around the T2 pickup zone, who restricted their vehicles from accepting bookings on major ride-hailing platforms like Ola and Uber. Cab operators at the scene cited eroding profit margins, high platform commissions and aggressive app algorithms as key catalysts for the protest.
Cab Operators Demand Fixed Fares And Higher Earnings
Their core demands centered on three long-pending issues of payout revision and fixed fares, crackdown on unregulated services and restrictions on carpooling. The cab drivers have demanded the implementation of state-notified base tariffs and higher net per-kilometer earnings to match rising operational and fuel expenses. Simultaneously, they called for strict policy enforcement and bans against commercial bike-taxi operations, which drivers argue undercut licensed four-wheeler operators. They also demanded elimination or strict regulation of multi-passenger pooling features on aggregator apps to protect per-trip revenues.
CSMIA authorities issued a formal passenger advisory urging travelers to plan ahead. “Due to an ongoing strike by some app-based cab operators in the city today, the availability of these services to and from the airport may be limited. Passengers are advised to plan their travel in advance and consider alternate modes of transportation. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation,” read the advisory.
Airport Staff Direct Travellers Towards Alternative Transport
To mitigate the inconvenience, airport ground staff redirected incoming travellers toward conventional metered kaali-peeli taxis, Cool Cabs and nearby Mumbai Metro links.
Expressing solidarity with the driver-led action, the Gig Workers Association’s president Keshav Sagar pointed to persistent delays by authorities in establishing a fair pricing system. "The strike has been called by drivers who are pushed to the brink by unfair platform rules and the government's failure to implement fixed fares for aggregator services," Sagar noted, emphasising that driver associations have repeatedly raised these issues with transport officials without long-term resolution.
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