Passengers using Uber and Ola were made to pay at least a rupee more for every kilometre of their journey on Thursday. Following the recent strike by the drivers, the app-based cab firms are now giving them various incentives by increasing the per kilometre fare, lowering booking targets and increasing amount of incentives for completing trips. This is apart from the surge pricing that exists in their system. However, the Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh (MRRKS) union protesting on behalf of the drivers, is unaware of this. According to an internal message sent by Uber to its drivers, the fares of Uber Go and Uber Premier were changed from Thursday onwards to commensurate the fluctuating prices of fuel. They have also listed the new fare pricing that has been applicable to drivers. Sources said that this will surely affect the passengers who will be marginally paying more as the per kilometre and per minute wait charges have gone up. The per km charge for Uber Go during peak and off-peak hours is Rs 7. Similarly, for Uber Premier, passengers will pay Rs 9 per km during peak hours and Rs 8 during off-peak. The per minute wait charge for both Go and Premier is Rs 1.5 during peak and Re 1 during off-peak. Sources said that this has increased in the range of 50 paise to Re 1. The drivers claim that with the marginal relief given to them, against fuel cost, they are happy for the time being. "Given the impact of rising fuel prices to their net earnings, independent driver partners on the Uber platform have recommended, and Uber has agreed to, the institution of a fuel price linked fare mechanism. This is first being rolled out in Mumbai and we estimate it will increase the gross earnings of driver partners by Rs 1 per kilometre. For driver partners, who drive approximately eight hours a day, this is estimated to translate into a net earnings increase of Rs 2,000-2,200 per month," said an Uber spokesperson. Even Ola is doling out incentives to its drivers. The drivers claim that they are creating something like power zones wherein they are giving lucrative offers to drivers. The drivers are able to earn up to Rs 29,000 if they get a certain number of bookings. "Ola has reduced its commission by 4-5 per cent. They are also giving us more monetary incentives on lesser trips made," said a driver on Ola platform. Meanwhile, the MRRKS unions stated that they do not know about any incentive provided to drivers. "We know that the aggregator companies have written some letter to the state government about the incentives. However, they have not informed us about anything. The drivers too are clueless about it," said Sachin Ahir, president, MRRKS. FOR HIRE

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