Taxi and autorickshaw drivers in Ahmedabad have refused rides booked through Ola, Uber and Rapido since Sunday, 21 September, and are asking passengers to rebook on Bharat Taxi, the cooperative ride-hailing app launched by the Centre earlier this year. DeshGujarat reported that at the city airport, only prepaid taxis and Bharat Taxi cars were operating during the boycott. Gujarat First quoted taxi union president Vanrajsinh Gadhvi calling on drivers in other states, and on Ahmedabad residents, to switch to the Indian-owned app.
From strike to switch
This is the second round of the dispute this month. About a dozen auto and taxi unions struck work from 7 to 10 September over aggregator payouts, CNG costs and bike taxis running on private white plates. At that stage the unions did not spare Bharat Taxi. Gujarat Samachar listed it alongside Ola, Uber and Rapido among the platforms drivers said paid too little, with some trips earning Rs 8 to 10 a kilometre against CNG at about Rs 94 a kg.
Two weeks later, the unions have picked a side. The reason they give is the fee structure. Bharat Taxi runs as a cooperative registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act and, according to All India Radio’s report on its February launch by Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, charges drivers no commission per ride. DeshGujarat reported that the app also accepts the fare cards drivers already use. Ahmedabad Taxi Driver Union working president Narendra Patel told DeshGujarat that fares on the other apps were not sustainable.
What it costs the rider
The shift moves the cost from the driver to the passenger. DeshGujarat found Bharat Taxi economy fares running Rs 100 or more above Uber for comparable trips, and cited one passenger who paid Rs 850 for a ride that cost Rs 425 on Rapido. That is a single example, but it matches the logic of the model: if the app takes no cut and drivers set their own rate card, the rider pays the driver’s price rather than a price set by the aggregator.
Reported numbers on how many drivers are involved vary. Gujarat First put the figure at about 80,000 taxi drivers, citing the union. DeshGujarat estimated 30,000 to 40,000 taxis linked to aggregators in the city and about one lakh registered autorickshaws. Neither figure comes from the RTO, and the reports do not say how many drivers have registered on Bharat Taxi.
What it means if you live in Ahmedabad
- Expect Ola, Uber and Rapido bookings to be cancelled or refused, especially at the airport and railway stations, while the boycott lasts.
- Compare the Bharat Taxi fare before you confirm. The app is new in the city and prices differ from what regular aggregator users are used to.
- Prepaid airport taxis and metered autos remain an option.
What to watch
Three things will decide whether the boycott holds. The first is whether Bharat Taxi can handle the booking volume of a city of Ahmedabad’s size without long waits. The second is how Ola, Uber and Rapido respond on driver payouts; none of the reports so far carries a statement from them. The third is the RTO, which the unions have threatened to gherao over private two-wheelers carrying paying passengers. No RTO response to the boycott has been reported so far. If riders find Bharat Taxi slow or expensive, the pressure will shift back onto the drivers.
Sources: DeshGujarat, Gujarat First, Gujarat Samachar, All India Radio
This report was compiled and written with AI assistance from publicly reported sources, and reviewed for accuracy.