Why Gurugram Cab Drivers Are On Strike Today On March 23 And What They Are Demanding

App-based cab drivers in Gurugram continued their strike on March 23, intensifying demands for mandatory customer KYC verification and stronger safety safeguards after a series of reported assaults, threats and violent incidents involving passengers.

The protest, which began on Saturday, has disrupted ride availability across several parts of the city, with commuters reporting longer waiting times and difficulty booking cabs.

Drivers Push For Mandatory Customer KYC

A large number of app-based cab drivers gathered outside Sector 46 on Saturday, saying the protest is focused on rising safety risks from fake or unverified passengers. Drivers argued that while they are required to complete strict verification procedures to operate on ride-hailing platforms, customers are still able to book trips without undergoing similar checks.

One of the protesting drivers, Preet Kumar, said aggregators must urgently implement customer verification to prevent misuse and attacks during rides. "What about our safety? We also need protection from fake passengers," he said.

Drivers say compulsory KYC for passengers would help reduce incidents of harassment, threats and physical assaults, especially in cases where riders allegedly use false identities.

Drivers Flag Lack Of Grievance Redressal

Beyond verification, the drivers also raised concerns over the absence of a reliable grievance redressal mechanism on app-based cab platforms. They claimed that in several cases involving abusive or aggressive passenger behaviour, there was no clear or effective system to register complaints or seek immediate support.

Many protesters said that drivers are often left to deal with such situations on their own, even after reporting issues through the app.

"Where are we supposed to report such incidents?" a driver questioned.

The drivers said that without a proper escalation system, repeated complaints about passenger misconduct fail to result in action, increasing their sense of vulnerability on the job.

Safety Features Under Scrutiny After Violent Incidents

The protesting drivers also questioned the effectiveness of in-app and in-vehicle safety measures, including SOS buttons available to both passengers and drivers. According to them, these features often fail to deliver timely assistance during emergencies, making them unreliable in high-risk situations.

To underline their concerns, drivers referred to the killing of 25-year-old Suraj Singh earlier this year. In January, Suraj was allegedly strangled to death inside his vehicle by passengers who had booked a ride from Sector 37.

The incident has become a rallying point for drivers demanding stronger safety protocols and more accountability from cab aggregators.

Strike Disrupts Daily Commute Across Gurugram

The ongoing strike, which remained in effect on Saturday and continued into March 23, caused visible disruptions in several parts of Gurugram as ride availability dropped and waiting times increased.

Commuters said they faced delays while trying to book cabs, particularly for short-distance travel and metro connectivity. Rishika Tiwari, a resident of Sector 38, described the impact on routine travel, saying that "while booking a cab to the nearest metro station usually takes about a minute, she had to wait 10 to 15 minutes due to the strike."

With the protest entering another day, drivers are pressing aggregators to address their demands on customer verification, emergency response and complaint handling before services return to normal.