Ahmedabad: The call for a strike today by auto rickshaw and taxi drivers in the city has evoked a mixed response. According to the unions, 2.5 lakh auto drivers and 80,000 taxi drivers were supposed to be on strike since 6 am this morning, demanding the stop of two-wheelers with white number plates offering rides through services such as Rapido, Ola Bike, and Uber Moto. However, in various places, rickshaws are plying normally.

On July 22, the autorickshaw drivers’ union made a verbal and written presentation to the Ahmedabad District Collector. They had two main demands: 1) Illegal white number plate two-wheelers plying through online applications should be stopped, and 2) harassment by Uber and Rapido through online applications should be stopped. Despite these representations, the issues have not been resolved, so the autorickshaw drivers and taxi drivers are going on strike together from this morning.

For the last one and a half years, the autorickshaw drivers of Ahmedabad city have been campaigning to stop two-wheelers with white number plates operated by online applications. Now they have gone on strike as part of the “Roji Roti Bachao Andolan” movement.

The autorickshaw and taxi union presidents have stated that if there is no response to their demands by this evening, the agitation may be prolonged. The autorickshaw drivers’ union has also informed that in case of a medical emergency, people can contact an ambulance or 108.

RTO Officer J. J. Patel met with union representatives at noon to address their concerns. Patel stated that using non-transport vehicles as aggregators by online companies is illegal. To tackle this, a drive will be conducted twice a week to catch these vehicles, with penalties up to ₹10,000 or legal action for offenders. Following this, autorickshaw drivers’ union ended their strike. DeshGujarat