Telangana App-Based Drivers Announce July 22 Strike Over Fares and Welfare

The Telangana App-Based Drivers Forum (TADF) has announced a statewide flash strike scheduled for July 22, demanding immediate fare revisions, reduced commissions, and welfare measures. The decision was finalized during a round-table meeting held at the Sundarayya Vignana Kendram (SVK) in Hyderabad, where representatives warned of an indefinite strike after August 10 if their demands are not met by the state government and platform companies.

The planned protest is expected to cause widespread disruption to app-based cab, auto, goods transport, and delivery services across Telangana. The strike involves platform workers associated with major service providers, including Ola, Uber, Rapido, Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, and Blinkit.

During the round-table meeting at SVK in Hyderabad, representatives of the various transport and delivery sectors expressed deep concern over their declining earnings and the rising commissions charged by platform companies. They alleged that these high commissions and fees from cab vendors are significantly eating into the drivers' and delivery partners' daily incomes.

To address these financial challenges, the TADF is demanding an immediate upward revision of per-kilometre, per-minute, and per-order fares. The forum stated that a fare hike is essential to ensure sustainable earnings for the workers in the face of rising costs.

In addition to fare adjustments, the drivers and delivery workers are seeking government intervention on regulatory issues. The forum has urged the Telangana state government to crack down on unauthorised vendors and commercial operations involving vehicles registered in other states, which they claim hurt local operators.

Furthermore, the TADF is demanding the immediate notification and implementation of the Gig and Platform Workers Rules. They are also calling for the urgent constitution of the Gig and Platform Workers Welfare Board to secure social security and welfare measures for the workforce.

TADF founder Shaik Salauddin stated that the forum had submitted repeated representations to the government and platform companies, but these efforts had yielded no concrete action. He warned that workers would have no choice but to intensify their agitation if their issues remain unresolved.

Salauddin urged the Telangana government to immediately convene a meeting with workers’ representatives and platform companies. He emphasized that resolving the issues through dialogue is critical to protecting the livelihoods of lakhs of app-based drivers and delivery workers across the state.