83% Gig Workers, App-Based Cab Drivers in India Work Over 10 Hours/Day, Paid a Pittance: Study

New Delhi: They have been dotting India’s urban landscape almost like street lights on highways, but the army of gig workers, including app-based cab drivers, works over 10 hours, with about 45% of them earning less than Rs 500/day, says a report in The Hindu, based on a study.

The study, which covered over 10,000 cab drivers, gig and platform workers across eight Indian states, also found deep social disparities, with those from the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) saying they work up to 14 hours a day, while only 16% from the ‘general’ category saying they work long hours.

The report has been released by the People’s Association in Grassroots Action and Movements and the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers, with technical support by the University of Pennsylvania and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, a German foundation, said The Hindu.

When asked about income, the report found that 43% respondents were earning only about Rs 500/day, which is about Rs 15,000/month.

“It (the study) found that 34% of the app-based delivery persons earn less than Rs 10,000 a month, while 78% spend over 10 hours at work daily,” said the report.

The study recommended “stronger social security for app-based workers, and called on the government to exercise oversight on the fairness of algorithms and mechanisms used by platforms to monitor such workers.”

The study also found cases of deep exhaustion among drivers, who are not only exposed to traffic congestion and pollution but also the vagaries of extreme weather conditions.

It also noted that the ecommerce platform owners’ competitive policy of “10-minute doorstep deliveries” was also increasing the risk of accidents of these mostly young gig workers.

“It was found that 76% of delivery persons are struggling to make ends meet and over 80% app-based cab drivers were not satisfied with the fares offered by the companies,” said the report.