Bengaluru: Prepaid-taxi drivers , who have been operating from the city railway station for decades, have been shown the door by the South Western Railway, which has closed down its pre-paid counter and seized their vehicles.
Strongly protesting the move, the drivers claim they were given no prior notice by the railways and it has no good reason to take such action against them.
As many as 55 taxis were seized in a sudden move by railway officials on Wednesday on the grounds that they were not paying their monthly dues on time, according to the drivers.
“We have been serving the public for the last five or six decades from the city railway station and now feel completely helpless in the face of this action,” said a senior cab driver, Manavar Khan.
Mr S Rajkumar, Bangalore and Airport Taxi Drivers’ Union alleges the move is meant to favour app-based cab operators, who have already forced the pre-paid taxi services to take a backseat.
“The railway officers are against taxi drivers like us and are forcing changes in support of app-based operators,” he charged.
But in a letter to the Bangalore and Airport Taxi Drivers’ Union, the South Western Railway has complained about the constant delay in the payment of monthly dues by the taxi drivers.
“The union has made it a habit to make delayed payments and there is no positive response despite repeated warnings,” said Mr N.S. Sridharmurthy, senior divisional commercial manager, South Western Railway.
