It’s a bumpy road for taxi drivers as fear of lockdown looms large

But within six months came the total lockdown. He struggled to fend for his family, let alone paying the EMI. When the lockdown was partially lifted, he had to spend about Rs 50,000 to get his vehicle moving again. He had no other option but to let go off the car.

Now, he is driving a friend’s taxi. “Drivers usually earn about Rs 300 to Rs 400 a day. But I get just Rs 100 per day, and lesser on some days,” says Mani Kandan. The intervals between two trips are too long and pickup distance is more than the trip itself in some cases. “It is a loss for us in such cases. But neither the aggregators nor the customers understand our plight.”

S Gurunathan (33) of Tirumullaivoyal, who owns a sedan that he drives for aggregators, now wants to work as a driver for someone. “I’m getting offers of Rs 20,000 per month. It is a 9 am to 6 pm job, with extra money for extended work and food is also being taken care of. That’s less burdensome compared to driving taxi during the pandemic,” says Gurunathan.

Reopening IT companies and a hike in fare corresponding to fuel price rise would only even it for the taxis, they say. However, with the spike in COVID cases, the fear of another lockdown looms large. “If the total lockdown is imposed again, the business would cease to exist,” laments Mani Kandan.