Study throws light on cab drivers in Hyderabad

Smooth ride but rough life

A collaborative study by the Centre for Labour Studies, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, together with the Montfort Social Institute (MSI), threw light on the taxing work schedules and meagre earnings of platform-based cab drivers in Hyderabad.

The report, released on Tuesday, disputed the findings of another study in 2022 by NITI Aayog which claimed that the “gig (platform) workers are comparatively young, work for fewer hours a day, prefer a flexible work schedule, and do not have the gig work as their primary source of income.”

Conducted with support from the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), the study tagged 28 drivers chosen randomly, and trailed them closely, recording minutiae of their workaday lives.

As per the report, most of the drivers were middle-aged workers with a family to support. Two thirds of the respondents were over 30 years of age, and did not have the option of short, flexible work hours. Most had to spend more than 12 hours each day on an average in their taxis in order to make ends meet.

Fuel prices and fluctuating commissions offered by the platforms did not make things easier.

Several taxi drivers had tried other jobs, including teaching, but left to join the taxi platforms attracted by advertisements about earning potential.

Though the workers were earning an average of around ₹45,000-₹50,000 per month after commissions, only 20% of it was their real income thanks to the EMIs, fuel cost and other overheads.