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Ola, Uber Strike Puts India’s Platform Economy Under Pressure

Ola, Uber, and Rapido drivers plan a nationwide strike for minimum base fares & a ban on private vehicles on 7 February. TGPWU calls out algo pricing exploitation amid gig growth to 1.2 cr workers. Echoes delivery protests at Zomato/Blinkit.

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Manisha Sharma
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India’s ride-hailing platforms are heading into another stress test. Drivers associated with Ola, Uber, Rapido, and other aggregators have announced a nationwide strike on February 7, a move that could disrupt cab, auto, and bike taxi services for several hours across major cities.

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Dubbed the ‘All India Breakdown’, the protest is being led by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and centres on two long-standing demands: government-mandated minimum base fares and tighter enforcement against the use of private vehicles for commercial rides.

For the platforms, the strike comes at a time when profitability pressures, regulatory oversight, and worker pushback are increasingly colliding.

Why Drivers Are Going Offline

According to the union, app-based transport workers across India will log out of platforms for around six hours as a mark of protest against what they describe as continued policy inaction.

Announcing the strike on X, the union said, “App-based transport workers across India will observe an All India Breakdown on 7 Feb 26. No minimum fares. No regulation. Endless exploitation. The govt must act NOW. Millions of app-based drivers are pushed into poverty while aggregators profit. Govt silence = platform impunity.”

At the heart of the dispute is the claim that ride-hailing platforms continue to set fares unilaterally, despite the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, which were intended to bring more structure to the sector.

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The Core Demands: Fares and Vehicle Rules

The union has called for the immediate notification of minimum base fares for app-based transport services, including cabs, autos, and bike taxis. These fares, it argues, should be finalised in consultation with recognised driver and worker unions.

“In the absence of government-regulated fare structures, aggregator companies continue to unilaterally fix fares, leading to severe income insecurity, exploitation, and unsustainable working conditions for millions of transport workers,” the union said in a statement.

Another key demand is a strict ban on the use of private (non-commercial) vehicles for commercial passenger and goods transport, or the enforcement of mandatory vehicle conversion rules.

The union has also sought the removal of Clause 17.3 of the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, which permits aggregators to charge fares up to 50% lower than the notified base fare.

Regulation Exists, Enforcement Does Not

The strike highlights a familiar gap in India’s platform economy: regulation on paper and uneven enforcement on the ground.

Despite the aggregator guidelines being notified in 2025, unions argue that pricing decisions remain algorithm-driven and opaque, leaving drivers exposed to fluctuating earnings and rising operating costs.

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In a letter addressed earlier this week to Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, the TGPWU alleged that the lack of government-enforced fare structures has allowed platforms to prioritise demand growth and price competitiveness over driver income stability.

The union has urged both state and central governments to initiate immediate dialogue with worker representatives to move towards what it calls “fair, lawful, and sustainable regulation” of the sector.

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Gig Strikes Spread Across Platforms

The February 7 strike does not exist in isolation. India’s gig economy has seen a series of coordinated protests over the past few months, cutting across transport, delivery, and hyperlocal services.

Delivery workers associated with platforms such as Zomato, Swiggy, Zepto, and Blinkit carried out strikes during Christmas and New Year, demanding safer working conditions, clearer pay structures, and benefits such as health insurance.

Following sustained criticism, quick commerce platforms, including Zomato-operated Blinkit, removed references to ‘10-minute delivery’ from external communications, signalling a shift in how speed-driven promises are positioned.

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More recently, female gig workers associated with Urban Company protested in Mumbai against ‘instant’ service timelines, citing unrealistic expectations and work pressure.

Why Strikes Are A Warning For Ride App

From a business perspective, repeated strikes point to a structural challenge. Ride-hailing platforms operate on thin margins, algorithmic pricing, and flexible labour models. However, as the gig workforce scales, informal arrangements are proving harder to sustain.

According to the Indian Staffing Federation, India’s gig workforce grew 55% to 1.20 crore workers in FY25, up from 77 lakh in FY21, accounting for around 2% of the country’s total workforce. The Economic Survey 2026 has also called for policy interventions, including competition rules, data access, and algorithmic transparency.

For platforms such as Ola, Uber, and Rapido, the strike raises uncomfortable questions: how much control can be centralised in pricing algorithms, and how long can regulatory ambiguity serve as a buffer?

The February 7 ‘All India Breakdown’ is less about a single day of disruption and more about where India’s platform economy is headed.

As app-based transport becomes everyday infrastructure rather than optional convenience, the balance between growth, regulation, and worker sustainability is coming under sharper focus.

Whether the strike leads to formal negotiations or policy movement remains to be seen. But it adds to a growing signal: India’s gig economy is entering a phase where scale alone is no longer enough; governance will matter just as much.