Rickshaw, taxi drivers leave for home in their vehicles

Rickshaw, taxi drivers leave for home in their vehicles

The drivers, who usually go home during the summer, may not return soon this time

12/05/2020, AJEET MAHALE,MUMBAI

Auto drivers heading for their home towns stuck in a traffic jam at Kasara ghat.Special Arrangement

Taxi and autorickshaw drivers in the city have decided not to follow the precedent set by most migrants in the city: walking, cycling or even going home in trucks. The drivers are leaving for their hometowns in their own vehicles, most of them without the requisite permit or no-objection certificate from the police.

“We don’t know what is going to happen. There is no clarity on whether we will get seats on trains, and hence, people have taken this decision,” said Jharilal Pandit, a rickshaw driver from Marol.

Hundreds of drivers have already left the city and many more are preparing to do so, and the city could see a shortage of autorickshaws and taxis once the lockdown is lifted. May is usually when they leave for their hometowns, but the lockdown has ensured many more go. “Around 3,000 taxi drivers may have left by now,” said A.L. Quadros of the Mumbai Taximen’s Union. Had the government done something to help them through April, fewer people may have gone, he said.

“Several rickshaw drivers have already gone. Some were stopped at toll nakas and check posts, but were eventually allowed to go. There is fear among drivers as to what will happen if they remain in the city,” Mr. Pandit pointed out.

Union officials said rickshaw drivers were going in groups of 15 or 20, either with their families or with other drivers. “We are a group of 15 autorickshaw drivers and have stocked up on dry rations as well as key spare parts in case of a breakdown,” said a rickshaw driver from Jharkhand who wished to remain anonymous. He said they planned to take several halts along the way and drive cautiously. “There is no requirement for us to reach home at the earliest. But we want to leave this city as soon as possible,” he said.

Thampi Kurien from the Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union, estimated that 10% of the city’s autorickshaw drivers may have left. “We can no longer tell them to stay back. There is no saying when this lockdown will end. It’s a risky journey, but so is going by foot. I only get calls from drivers once they cross the border. Had the State government acted sooner in helping them, this would not have been the situation,” he said.

Transport department officials said they were preparing to create an online application to help drivers get a temporary permit to travel outside the State. “The permit is usually taken by several taxi drivers who go home during the summer. Typically, the number of taxi and rickshaw drivers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region drops by around 15%,” a senior transport department official said.

However, while most of them usually come back after the summer break ends, Mr. Pandit believes those who have left this time will only return once things stabilise in the city.