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Kerala: Online cabbies skip' railway station trips

Online taxis are reportedly refusing to ply to railway stations.

Kochi: The commuters travelling to and from the railway stations in the city are finding it difficult with online cabbies refusing to ply to those destinations even as there is no end in sight to ongoing indefinite strike by traditional auto and taxi drivers at both the station premises. “I am regular commute using online cabs. However, on February 2, the first two drivers I contacted refused when I tried to book a trip to the South railway station. Again on Sunday, I tried booking a trip to the railway station without any success. Finally I was forced to go on my bike and park it at the railway station before catching my train to Kollam,” said Mohan Mangattusseril, a social activist from Chitoor.

This, even as there is no end in sight to the nearly two-month old strike by traditional drivers against allocation of a help desk and parking space to online taxis at Ernakulam Junction station and North station. While the autorickshaw drivers continue to boycott the prepaid counter at North station, the protesters are holding a relay hunger strike at the Ernakulam Junction station though the prepaid services are available there.

“We’ll withdraw the strike only when the help desks allotted to Ola at South and Uber at Town stations are withdrawn by the railways. The development has badly affected our earning. The indefinite strike at the North station has entered 54nd day today, however, the authorities are not even initiating steps for talks,” alleged M.B. Swamant-habhadran, convener, Auto-Taxi Co-ordination Committee.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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