Bengaluru Cab Strike Today, July 13? Viral Video Triggers Confusion; Drivers' Unions Reveal the Truth

After a video went viral on social media which claimed that a cab strike is going to take place in Bengaluru today i.e July 13. Debunking the new, Cab drivers' associations said that the strike call lacked a groundswell of support and would not be taking place, according to a report by Deccan Herald.

In the video,some cab drivers venting out their anger and threatening to cause disruption in cab services across the city.

Drivers' Associations Distance Themselves From The Strike Call

Tanveer Pasha of the Ola and Uber Drivers' and Owners' Association told Deccan Herald that the video was not a recent one and that the cab strike call has supposedly come from some drivers at the local level.

Bengaluru Police had already intervened in the matter and that a meeting had been called with representatives of the ride-hailing apps like OLA, Uber, Rapido to address the situation, as per the report.

Reason Behind The Cab Strike

While the Bengaluru cab strike call itself was dismissed, Pasha told Deccan Herald that the driving community was not very happy with the fare structures followed by ride-hailing apps such as Ola, Uber and Rapido. He explained that drivers feel rides are being offered at very low fares sometimes as less Rs.12 per kilometre, which is not profitable at all, the report said.

What Karnataka's Cab Fare Rules Say

Karnataka had fixed uniform kilometre-based fares for all categories of cabs in 2024.

After the direction of the Transport and Road Safety Commissioner in December 2023, Karnataka's Transport Department issued a circular in February 2024, introducing uniform kilometre-based fares for all cab categories, both app-based aggregators like Ola, Uber, Rapido and metered city taxis. This new rule ended the earlier practice of separate fare slabs for aggregator cabs versus airport or city cabs.

For cabs costing up to Rs 10 lakh, the base fare for the first four kilometres was set at Rs 100, with every subsequent kilometre charged at Rs 24. For cabs priced between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 15 lakh, the base fare is Rs 115, with Rs 28 for every additional kilometre. For cabs costing more than Rs 15 lakh, the base fare stands at Rs 130, with Rs 32 charged per additional kilometre thereafter.