How the dreams of thousands of Ola and Uber drivers are turning sour

Once app-based cab aggregators became popular and their driver population burgeoned, they pruned incentives and began charging drivers hefty commissions. The pandemic only made matters worse

In offices, coffee shops, FM radio stations… wherever there is conversation, you would hear about the woes of people who use Uber or Ola. Cabs are difficult to find and take long to come. Cancellations are commonplace. And drivers refuse to switch on the AC in order to save fuel, even as a heat wave sweeps through north India.

That’s nothing compared to the stories the cab drivers on these apps tell.

Ranjit (name changed) has been a driver on both Ola and Uber in Mumbai since 2015. When he started with Uber in 2015, his initial earnings were so