With a fuel frenzy in Hyderabad triggered due to the truckers’ strike, it was a nightmarish experience for gig and platform workers. They struggled to meet delivery and passenger drop deadlines, and with no fuel in tanks, had no choice but to go offline during peak hours.
“You should have filled diesel in your cab before accepting this ride,” a passenger rudely retorted when Nagesh, an Uber driver, tried to explain to him that he was low on fuel.
“The situation today was horrible for me. Instead of over 15 trips per day, I had could do only two because I was out of diesel,” Nagesh, who did not wish to share his full name, told The Hindu. “I was in the queue at a petrol bunk in Himayatnagar for over an hour but I couldn’t get any diesel. Then I went to go to a petrol Bunk in Barkatpura, but here too I was unlucky. I had no choice but to park my car on the road, call a friend, and go back home on his two-wheeler.”
