Uber launches fuel price index in city to boost driver income

Leading cab aggregator Uber India Wednesday assured its drivers that their net earnings will not be impacted as it is rolling out A national fuel price index to ensure that their earnings are correlated with changes in the price of fuel.

The new incentive is applicable in Mumbai to begin with, Uber India said in a statement Wednesday.

The drivers of popular cab aggregators Ola and Uber went on a 12-day strike last month over lower earnings due to fuel price hike.

It was called off on November 3, following assurances from the aggregators and the state governments. However, they have threatened to go on strike again if their issues not resolved in a time-bound manner.

"We recognise that recent fuel price increases have impacted the net earnings of independent driver partners on the Uber platform. We have instituted a national fuel price index, which will ensure that driver earnings across India are correlated with changes in the price of fuel. Mumbai is the first city where we will be rolling out fuel price index," Uber India said in a statement Wednesday.

It is also working towards providing driver partners access to health insurance, life insurance and micro-loans and a host of other benefits aimed at improving their welfare, the statement added.

As per reports, the strike was called off on the condition that the cab aggregators would prepare a new fare chart on price-per-kilometre basis by mid-November, which will take into consideration the rising fuel prices and till then, both Ola and Uber would follow a Diwali-incentive scheme in which the drivers will earn a profit on every ride.

Uber had also decided to provide an incentive of Rs 825 for every two trips and Rs 20,000 for every 45 trips, to each driver, taken during the day.

A media report has said the drivers of both the cab aggregators could go on strike on November 18 and 19, if the talks between the union and the management fail on November 15. The striking drivers union had called for a truce till November 15 in order to avoid inconvenience during Diwali.

Since the beginning of 2018, fuel prices have risen sharply amidst a global surge and a free-falling rupee.