The Crossbill News Desk
Ride-hailing and delivery services across several cities were disrupted on Saturday as app-based drivers observed a nationwide protest following a call for an ‘All India Breakdown’, highlighting long-pending demands related to fares, regulation and working conditions.
Services of platforms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido remained affected through the day, while delivery operations of the Porter app were also hit.
The strike, according to some reports, was scheduled to last for six hours, with drivers switching off their apps simultaneously in response to the call given by labour unions.
The protest was called by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) along with other national labour bodies. In a letter addressed to Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, the unions flagged what they described as “long-pending and unresolved issues” faced by app-based transport workers across the country.
Explaining the rationale behind the protest, the union said there is no government-fixed fare system for drivers working with Ola, Uber, Rapido, Porter and other aggregator platforms operating autos, cabs and bike taxis, leaving companies free to determine fares unilaterally.
“App-based transport workers across India will observe an All India Breakdown on 7 Feb. No minimum fares. No regulation. Endless exploitation,” TGPWU wrote on X on Wednesday.
The unions pointed to the failure of both the Centre and states to notify minimum base fares under the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025. Despite the existence of these guidelines, they said, aggregator companies continue to fix fares on their own, forcing drivers into longer working hours for declining earnings.
Shaik Salauddin, Founder President of TGPWU and Co-Founder and National General Secretary of IFAT, said that the absence of government-notified base fares has enabled platforms to arbitrarily lower prices while shifting all operational risks onto workers.
"The Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, clearly mandate consultation with recognised worker unions before fare fixation. However, governments have failed to act, enabling platforms to deepen exploitation," Salauddin said.
The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union claimed that it received “one of the biggest responses to call for breakdown” on Saturday.
Salauddin told PTI that the union had planned to meet heads and leaders from 20 states to protest against the practices of app-based transport firms, and that driver partners unexpectedly gathered at Jantar Mantar.
App-based cab drivers and conventional taxi drivers jointly staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding regulation of the sector and a ban on bike taxis.
Several taxi drivers’ unions under the banner of the Rashtriya Driver Sanyukta Morcha Samiti and the All Delhi Auto Taxi Congress Union took part, raising concerns over pricing policies and the use of private vehicles as taxis, PTI reported.
Drivers protesting at Jantar Mantar warned that the agitation would intensify if their demands were ignored.
The protest is also directed against a provision in the Aggregator Policy 2025 that allows companies to charge fares up to 50% lower than the meter-based fares applicable in a particular state. Drivers said they are facing difficulties due to “arbitrary practices and frequently changing rules” imposed by app-based companies.
The Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2025 lay down specific obligations on aggregators related to passenger safety and vehicle compliance, but unions allege that key provisions protecting workers’ incomes have not been implemented. Apart from TGPWU, the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) also participated in the protest.
Earlier, a delegation of transport and delivery gig workers had met the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to discuss the need for central legislation and the implementation of regulations in Congress-ruled states, TGPWU’s Founder President told ANI.
Sumer Ambawata of the National Driver Morcha Samiti told ANI, “We oppose the government's policies... If the government does not listen to us, we will hold a big nationwide protest on the 22nd and 23rd of March.”
He added that nearly 6,300 organisations across the country would participate.
“Almost 6300 organisations of the country will take part in it... We want the government to include union leaders representing drivers in policy development,” Ambawata told ANI.
According to a press note issued by the National Driver Morcha Samiti, drivers are demanding the fixing of a minimum fare of Rs 25 per kilometre across all aggregator services to ensure income security, immediate withdrawal of the policy included in the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2025, and a complete ban on illegal and unregulated services to protect the livelihoods of registered drivers.
Services of platforms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido remained affected through the day, while delivery operations of the Porter app were also hit.
The strike, according to some reports, was scheduled to last for six hours, with drivers switching off their apps simultaneously in response to the call given by labour unions.
The protest was called by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) along with other national labour bodies. In a letter addressed to Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, the unions flagged what they described as “long-pending and unresolved issues” faced by app-based transport workers across the country.
Explaining the rationale behind the protest, the union said there is no government-fixed fare system for drivers working with Ola, Uber, Rapido, Porter and other aggregator platforms operating autos, cabs and bike taxis, leaving companies free to determine fares unilaterally.
“App-based transport workers across India will observe an All India Breakdown on 7 Feb. No minimum fares. No regulation. Endless exploitation,” TGPWU wrote on X on Wednesday.
App-based transport workers across India will observe an All India Breakdown on 7 Feb 26.
— Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (@TGPWU) February 4, 2026
No minimum fares. No regulation. Endless exploitation.
Govt must act NOW.
Millions of app-based drivers are pushed into poverty while aggregators profit.
Govt silence = platform impunity pic.twitter.com/zT3e6eZWjm
The unions pointed to the failure of both the Centre and states to notify minimum base fares under the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025. Despite the existence of these guidelines, they said, aggregator companies continue to fix fares on their own, forcing drivers into longer working hours for declining earnings.
Shaik Salauddin, Founder President of TGPWU and Co-Founder and National General Secretary of IFAT, said that the absence of government-notified base fares has enabled platforms to arbitrarily lower prices while shifting all operational risks onto workers.
"The Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, clearly mandate consultation with recognised worker unions before fare fixation. However, governments have failed to act, enabling platforms to deepen exploitation," Salauddin said.
The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union claimed that it received “one of the biggest responses to call for breakdown” on Saturday.
Salauddin told PTI that the union had planned to meet heads and leaders from 20 states to protest against the practices of app-based transport firms, and that driver partners unexpectedly gathered at Jantar Mantar.
App-based cab drivers and conventional taxi drivers jointly staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding regulation of the sector and a ban on bike taxis.
Several taxi drivers’ unions under the banner of the Rashtriya Driver Sanyukta Morcha Samiti and the All Delhi Auto Taxi Congress Union took part, raising concerns over pricing policies and the use of private vehicles as taxis, PTI reported.
Drivers protesting at Jantar Mantar warned that the agitation would intensify if their demands were ignored.
The protest is also directed against a provision in the Aggregator Policy 2025 that allows companies to charge fares up to 50% lower than the meter-based fares applicable in a particular state. Drivers said they are facing difficulties due to “arbitrary practices and frequently changing rules” imposed by app-based companies.
The Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2025 lay down specific obligations on aggregators related to passenger safety and vehicle compliance, but unions allege that key provisions protecting workers’ incomes have not been implemented. Apart from TGPWU, the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) also participated in the protest.
Earlier, a delegation of transport and delivery gig workers had met the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to discuss the need for central legislation and the implementation of regulations in Congress-ruled states, TGPWU’s Founder President told ANI.
Sumer Ambawata of the National Driver Morcha Samiti told ANI, “We oppose the government's policies... If the government does not listen to us, we will hold a big nationwide protest on the 22nd and 23rd of March.”
He added that nearly 6,300 organisations across the country would participate.
“Almost 6300 organisations of the country will take part in it... We want the government to include union leaders representing drivers in policy development,” Ambawata told ANI.
According to a press note issued by the National Driver Morcha Samiti, drivers are demanding the fixing of a minimum fare of Rs 25 per kilometre across all aggregator services to ensure income security, immediate withdrawal of the policy included in the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2025, and a complete ban on illegal and unregulated services to protect the livelihoods of registered drivers.
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