Nothing for us in budget: Taxi drivers

Nischith N | NT

The Budget does not go far enough to help taxi drivers, who have fallen “further into poverty and debt” every day of this pandemic, a taxi driver union representative observed.

In the state budget, the Bommai Government had announced that Vidyanidhi Yojane will be extended to the children of drivers of yellow board taxis. The government also announced that a special plan will be proposed to provide health services. But the drivers associations complain that there is no clarity regarding this announcement.

Tanveer Pasha, President, Ola, Taxiforsure and Uber Drivers and Owners Association told NewsTrail, “The measure, aimed at helping those who have been badly affected by Covid-19, means that taxi drivers will be able to earn up to 20,000 per month, or at last 5,000 a week, at the present situation. This new budget is nothing but a gimmick for the next BBMP elections. We have demanded many things like housing, loans, driver’s day and also the development board. But till today this has not been announced, but for the name sake, this new policy of education for drivers’ children has been announced with no proper clarity.”

It is claimed that before Covid, the number of taxis in the city was around 1.47 lakh, including airport taxis, but now the number has come down to around 50,000.