Rapido drivers complain of harassment by auto drivers

NT Correspondent

 Bengaluru

Ever since bike taxis have been functional in the city, there has been an uneasy feeling among autorickshaw and cab drivers. Now, the feeling has shifted to the bike taxi drivers. Rapido drivers are living a “dreadful” life, with many complaining of instances of harassment by autorickshaw drivers.

Autorickshaw driver unions had been protesting in the city last month against bike services provided by Rapido, claiming that it was disrupting their livelihood. The unions alleged that bike taxis are operating illegally in the city as most of them are functioning with white private boards, which are not to be used for commercial purposes.

They further claim that aggregators such as Rapido do not have a licence, allowing them to set the fares themselves, thus affecting auto drivers. There has been friction among both the parties since protests erupted, with auto drivers claiming it has made a huge dent in their earnings. It has grown to the extent where Rapido drivers are now refusing to drop their customers to their destination, if it is near an auto stand.

Syed Shafiq, a Rapido driver, refused to drop his customer near the Shivajinagar auto stand as he was intimidated by a crowd of auto drivers there. “They might choose to pick an argument with me, which could turn into a physical fight. You never know, so I prefer to stay on the safe side,” he said.

Harisha LR, another Rapido driver who works on the job part time for an extra income, said, “The network of Rapido drivers that is operational across the city is very minimal when compared to that of auto drivers. They have a huge customer base but many opt to go with bike taxis as they are cheaper. It is not us who are the problem.” Since auto drivers seldom go by the fare metre, their customer base is dwindling, he said.

Nuresh Chandrashekar, another Rapido driver, said they are not scared of autorickshaw drivers, but want to avoid unnecessary confrontation. “They might not assault us, but will surely make a scene. This has become a frequent occurrence and hence, we have been avoiding the nuisance,” he said