Commuters bear brunt of shutdown

S Srinidhi, a marketing professional, who takes appabased cab service to reach her office in Alwarpet, found it difficult to get a cab on Tuesday. “The drivers refused to come to my street in Kilpauk. One driver even demanded Rs 100 extra, that too in cash,” she said.

Anusha S, a resident of Egmore, had a similar experience. “The driver of the cab that I booked using a mobile app said he would take only cash and charge Rs 20 extra. When I asked why, he simply said it was because of the strike. I was forced to take the cab as there was nothing else available. 

Meanwhile, autorickshaw drivers had a field day. “The drivers were demanding double the normal charges. I was forced to pay what the driver demanded in cash as the heat was unbearable and I knew that waiting for bus would only make matters worse,” said Amrit Agarwal, a resident of Kodambakkam.

However, there were a few who managed to brave the sun and chose public transport instead of paying extra cash for transport. “I usually take a share-auto to travel from Adyar till Mount Road, where my office is. Due to the strike, the drivers were demanding Rs 250 for one side, which was way beyond my budget. So, I decided to take a local train from Indra Nagar station to Chintadripet and then walk to my office. The heat was unbearable but I had no choice,” said Manish Kumar, a businessman.