Auto drivers in Hubballi want travel booking apps to be restricted to Bengaluru

Hundreds of autorickshaw drivers and owners took out an auto rally and staged a demonstration in Hubballi on Monday, seeking a ban on online ride booking mobile applications like Ola, Uber, Yatri, Rapido, and others in tier two cities and demanding that authorities restrict their use to only the State capital.

The autorickshaw drivers and owners gathered at Kittur Chennamma Circle first before taking out an autorickshaw rally to Gabbur on the outskirts of Hubballi, where the Regional Transport Office (RTO) is located.

The auto drivers and owners were led by Shekharayya Mathapati, president of Uttara Karnataka Auto Rickshaw Drivers Association, and K.M. Santosh, president of Auto Federation.

On reaching the RTO at Gabbur, the protestors staged a demonstration and sit-in before the office. They alleged that the online ride booking applications were taking away their earnings and causing them hardships.

They demanded that the applications should be allowed to be used only in Bengaluru and not in other towns and cities of the State. They warned of organising ‘Bengaluru Chalo’ if their demands were not met. A memorandum in this regard was subsequently submitted to the transport authorities.