STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: App-based cab drivers, bike taxi operators and delivery partners across Assam observed a statewide strike on Tuesday, demanding higher fares, social security benefits and immediate government intervention to address what they described as a deepening livelihood crisis faced by gig workers. Under the banner “Shramik Sol” (Workers’ Voice), members of the Assam State Cab Driver’s Association (ASCDA) and other platform-based workers assembled at Chachal in Guwahati before submitting a memorandum to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Transport Minister and senior Transport Department officials.
The memorandum sought a comprehensive policy framework for gig workers, highlighting concerns over declining earnings, rising fuel prices and vehicle maintenance expenses, platform commissions and the absence of welfare measures.
Among the key demands were a revision of app-based cab fares, compensation for the increased operational costs linked to E-20 blended fuel, financial relief from the mandatory installation of Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTDs), and the introduction of health insurance, accident insurance, pensions, and other social security benefits. The association also asked the government to control the fees charged by online cab companies, stop the unfair suspension of drivers’ accounts, take action against the reported use of private cars for commercial purposes, and set up regular meetings with platform workers before making any new rules that affect them.
Speaking to this reporter, the ASCDA president alleged that police used force while dispersing protesters during the demonstration, claiming that one participant sustained serious injuries. There was no immediate response from the police regarding the allegation. Holding placards and raising slogans, the protesters also demanded a scientific assessment of the impact of ethanol-blended fuel on commercial vehicles and called for wider stakeholder consultations before implementing transport-related policies.
The association maintained that the strike was aimed at drawing the government’s attention to the challenges confronting Assam’s expanding gig workforce and was not intended to inconvenience the public. It said sustainable policy measures are essential to ensure fair earnings and long-term livelihood security for thousands of app-based transport and delivery workers in the state.
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