Have Ola & Uber hiked fare charges in Bengaluru?

India's two most used ride-hailing apps Ola and Uber have reportedly raised trip fare charges in various cities across the country, including Bengaluru, amid soaring fuel prices. According to Goodreturns, petrol prices in Bangalore have been turning more volatile, currently standing at Rs. 111.09 per litre, from the Rs.107.30 per litre in the beginning of the month.

Petrol price in the state breached the Rs. 100 mark on March 28, at Rs. 100.14 per litre and then increased to Rs. 109.82 per litre by April 5.

The head of central operations of Uber India and South Asia was quoted as saying by the Economic Times that, after listening to feedback from their drivers, Uber has understood that the current spike in fuel prices is burning a hole in their drivers' pockets. To provide some relief, Uber has decided to raise trip fares in cities such as Delhi-NCR and Kolkata by 12% and in Mumbai and Hyderabad by 15%, respectively.

The Uber official told Economic Times that fuel price movements will be tracked going forward and further steps will be taken if necessary. The fare price hike will reportedly be limited to the car categories, with auto rickshaw fares not being revised since they are dictated by states independently.

After cities like Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad, Bengaluru is now facing the heat of raised fare charges, although no official decision has been taken yet. Several users from Bengaluru took their woes on to Twitter, with one user writing: “Cab fare charges are up by 1.5-2.5x yet Cab drivers refuse to switch on the ACs in Bangalore. What's going on @Olacabs @Uber?”

Meanwhile, another one poked fun at the ride-hailing apps' practice of surging prices during rainy seasons, writing: “In Bangalore if you throw a bucket of water from 20th floor. And, before it will reach to the ground, Uber and Ola will start showing surge pricing due to rain. #bangalorerains #uber #ola”

There have been similar fights against the fuel price hike in Bengaluru, with the most recent one being Bengaluru's cab drivers starting a ‘no AC’ policy to bring forward the difficulties faced by Ola and Uber drivers amid the fuel price hike, clubbed with low commissions.