Overview
- The three-day strike began on Thursday, May 21, with unions urging drivers not to operate from May 21 to May 23 to press for immediate fare increases.
- Unions say recent sharp rises in petrol, diesel and CNG prices plus long-stagnant fares have left many drivers unable to cover fuel, maintenance and permit costs.
- Organisers under AIMTC and allied groups claim the backing of dozens of transport bodies and up to hundreds of thousands of owners, but several prominent auto and taxi unions have publicly refused to join.
- Their demands include an immediate revision of taxi and auto fares, rollback of the higher environment compensation cess, reconsideration of rules on older commercial vehicles, and stronger regulation of app-based aggregators.
- Authorities have not issued a fare notification and unions have threatened to escalate to a larger agitation if a government response does not arrive within one to two weeks, raising the risk of longer waits, surge pricing on app cabs and supply-chain bottlenecks for perishables.