MUMBAI: The number of cabs operating for ride hailing services Ola and Uber has almost doubled in the city in two years, while kaali-peeli taxis reduced by 40% .The aggregator fleet, 10,000 cabs strong in 2014, grew to 37,229 by 2016-end and reached 73,591 by 2018-end. As of today, about 75,000 Ola and Uber cabs are registered at the city’s RTOs, said sources. In comparison, Mumbai had 30,000 kaali-peelis in 2016-end, which shrunk to 18,000 in 2018-end and remains the same now.And while app-based cabs register 3.5 lakh rides a day, kaali-peelis manage only about 36,000, a nearly 10-fold difference.The numbers indicate commuter preferences. Ride hailing cabs are preferred for their 24x7 availability and the value for money obtained on long routes. Kaali-peelis are popular only in the office hubs of south Mumbai such as Fort, Colaba, Nariman Point, Lower Parel and Mahalaxmi, and also near the airport, said Mumbai Taximen's Union leader A L Quadros. “Several of our drivers have migrated to Ola and Uber. App-based cabs have eaten into our business and taken away a significant number of passengers,” he said.The reason, said an official from Uber, is that “our service is extremely popular and we have changed the lives of several ex-kaali-peeli or fleet cab drivers, who are now our driver partners and earning a decent livelihood”.An official from Ola said that nearly 3,000 kaali-peeli taxis are attached to app platforms for business. These drivers operate as per RTO-approved fares and can log on to the system (Ola or Uber) as per their convenience.Quadros said it is not justified to allow aggregator cabs to operate in the Mumbai region. “As per their All-India tourist permit, they should only be allowed to ply inter-region or inter-state (and not intra-city).”Such protestations aren’t popular with commuters. Transport experts said that increasing refusals by kaali-peeli drivers worked in favour of app cabs, and this was the primary reason for largescale commuter migration. Also, it is not possible for many to get a kaali-peeli taxi as late as 2am or 3am, but Ola and Uber cabs are well within reach even during early hours. The sentiment is that app cabs have made life easy for partygoers or those who work till late at night or someone on their way home from a relative’s or friend’s place after midnight.Shikha Dey, a regular user of app cabs, said, “I previously preferred a kaali-peeli taxi to travel a distance of over 5km, but now I am comfortable booking an app cab because of various factors, including ease of booking, AC comfort and round-the-clock cab availability.”An official from Uber said, “When we started the service in Mumbai, we had solved a simple problem: How do you get a ride at the touch of a button. Now, a few years down the line, we have begun tackling an even greater challenge: Reducing congestion and pollution in our cities by getting more people into fewer cars.”Share cabs of both aggregators are a huge hit with the city’s officegoers. “Ola integrates city transportation for customers and drivers onto a mobile technology platform ensuring convenient, transparent, safe and quick service fulfilment,” said an official from the company.

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