LAHORE: Motorcycle drivers of the three popular ride-hailing companies Careem, Uber and Bykyea held a demonstration on Wednesday to protest against their economic problems caused by their respective administrations.
The drivers of three companies joined hands and brought their motorcycles together bearing several banners and blocked the road outside the Lahore Press Club. The drivers also staged a sit-in and chanted full-throat slogans against the companies.
“Start driving motorcycle, earn Rs30,000 in 30 days, a golden opportunity for securing employment, Careem showed us golden dreams, now they are snatching bread and butters of our children,” read one banner displayed at the protest.
The protesting drivers said that the administrations of these companies have joined hands and devised the same policies for bikers which are meant to fleece them.
They said that these companies were fooling and rendering them jobless.
The drivers of all these companies said that when they contact their respective companies to address their grievance, they simply say: “If you people are not satisfied, you can simply quit. ”
They also lamented that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has not done anything to resolve the problem.
They said that the PTI government led by Imran Khan had promised justice in Naya Pakistan but in their case no one is bothering to listen to them, despite the fact that they had voted for Imran Khan.
They urged the prime minister and Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar to take notice of their situation and order strict action against these companies.
“Careem promised us to earn upto Rs 70,000 by driving our bike for 12 hours. Now they have introduced a new policy for us which is giving us nothing. The whole profit goes to the company and we remain penniless. It is difficult us to earn bread and butter for our children in this scenario,” said Muhammad Ashraf, a Careem driver.
Tufail Khan, an Uber driver expressed similar views about his company.
“In the beginning, Bykea had softer policies and gave maximum chance to drivers to earn better. But now the situation is opposite. We quit our jobs last year to move towards self-employment. But that decision has proved nightmarish and we are almost devastated,” said Abdul Razak, a Bykea driver.
