Delhi commercial drivers call three-day strike over fare hike demand

Commercial vehicle drivers’ unions in Delhi have announced a three-day strike from 21 to 23 May, demanding an increase in taxi and auto-rickshaw fares in response to rising fuel prices.

The All-India Motor Transport Congress on Monday submitted a letter to Delhi lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and chief minister Rekha Gupta outlining the unions’ demands.

According to the unions, increasing prices of CNG, petrol and diesel have severely affected drivers’ livelihoods, making it difficult for many to support their families.

Anuj Kumar Rathore, vice-president of the Chaalak Shakti Union, said the proposed “Chakka Jam” had been organised in coordination with several transport groups across Delhi, urging commercial drivers not to operate their vehicles during the three-day protest.

The unions warned that if the government failed to announce a fare revision within the next one or two weeks, the agitation would escalate into a larger movement.

Drivers have also demanded stronger government policies to prevent what they described as the economic exploitation of taxi operators.

In their letter, the unions claimed they had approached the Delhi High Court last year, which directed authorities to address the concerns of taxi drivers and revise fares. However, they alleged that the government had continued to delay action, citing pending approval from the lieutenant governor.

The unions further accused app-based cab aggregators of arbitrary pricing practices, claiming traditional taxi drivers in Delhi were being pushed into financially unsustainable conditions.

They pointed out that city taxi fares in the Delhi-NCR region had remained unchanged for the past 15 years despite a sharp rise in fuel and operational costs.

Last week, the Delhi Auto Rickshaw Union and the Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union also submitted similar demands to the chief minister seeking a fare increase.

A protest demonstration has additionally been planned outside the Delhi Secretariat on 23 May.

With PTI inputs