Airport-bound passengers were among the hardest hit, with several travelers reporting long waits and uncertainty.

Madhav Ja (35), who works in the shipping industry, said he was unaware of the strike and spent almost half an hour trying to book a taxi from Andheri East railway station to Terminal 2. “I tried booking for almost 30 minutes and even increased the fare on Rapido, thinking the drivers might accept it, but nothing worked. I am going to take a regular rickshaw so as not to miss my flight,” he said.

Vineeth Nambiyar (38), a business owner who travels from Andheri West to Terminal 2 to catch a Chennai– bound for the flight, said he first tried to rent a seven-foot rickshaw, but was turned away. “Then I tried Uber and Rapido, but for the last 20 minutes the apps only showed ‘looking for nearby drivers’. I’m heading to Terminal 2 and the uncertainty is stressful,” he said.

Several travelers said the disruption was particularly severe on longer intercity trips. Mukesh Kumar (28), who travels from Andheri East to Powai, said app-based services are usually his preferred option for such routes due to lower fares. “I usually use Uber or Rapido for longer trips because it is cheaper. I usually pay between ₹150 and ₹180 for this route, while a metered rickshaw costs between ₹220 and ₹250. Today, the fare on the app itself showed around ₹220, which is unusual. Since the prices were almost the same, I decided to take a rickshaw,” he said.

The strike was called by driver unions protesting against the continued operation of illegal bike taxi services and what they described as arbitrary fare policies followed by app-based aggregators like Ola, Uber and Rapido. The unions also accused the Department of Transport of failing to enforce regulations passed by the government despite issuing repeated directives.

Wasim Khan, a rickshaw driver from Goregaon, said drivers were forced to go on strike due to lack of action against illegal operations. “We are protesting because pedicabs with white plates continue to operate despite being illegal. Aggregator companies must stop pedicab services and ensure that fares are regulated and fair to both drivers and passengers,” he said.

Explaining the drivers’ stand, Dr Keshav Nana Kshirsagar, president of Maharashtra Kamgar Sabha and Indian Gig Workers Forum, said the protest was a result of prolonged regulatory inaction. “We understand that travelers are affected, especially on longer routes where app-based fares are often cheaper and more efficient. But drivers are being pushed into an economically unsustainable system,” he said.

“Fare structures do not reflect rising fuel, maintenance and permit costs, while aggregators’ commissions remain high. At the same time, illegal bike taxi services continue to operate without safety, insurance and liability standards, putting both drivers and passengers at risk. Despite repeated written directives issued by the DoT to aggregators, there has been no meaningful enforcement on the ground,” Kshirsagar added.

He also pointed to the financial pressure caused by compliance with panic button regulations, noting that although the central government approves 140 panic button device suppliers, nearly 70 percent have been declared unauthorized by the state. “Drivers who had already installed approved devices are now forced to replace them at a cost of around Rs 12,000. For daily wage labourers, this is a serious financial burden,” he said.

With app-based services limited throughout the day, commuters were forced to rely on metered auto-rickshaws, often at higher costs for longer journeys. There was no immediate response from Ola, Uber or Rapido.