Chandigarh Cab Restrictions Leave Drivers Without Earnings, Commuters With Just One Option,

Chandigarh: With major private ride-hailing platforms currently facing restrictions in Chandigarh, thousands of drivers and commuters are dealing with the consequences. But the situation raises an

even bigger question: is Chandigarh effectively moving towards a monopoly in ride-hailing, with only one major platform continuing to operate while private competitors remain restricted? Regulation should create a level playing field not a cleared playing field

The city’s mobility landscape has changed significantly. Major private ride-hailing platforms including Ola, inDrive, Uber and Rapido currently have their aggregator licences suspended, while Bharat Taxi remains operational. This has left commuters with fewer choices, drivers with fewer earning opportunities and the market increasingly dependent on a single major ride-hailing option.

A cooperative, driver-owned model can compete in the market. If it offers drivers better economics or consumers better service, it should be allowed to succeed.

But it should succeed because consumers and drivers choose it.It should not succeed because its competitors have been removed from the market.

Drivers bear the immediate cost

For many drivers, ride-hailing is their primary source of income. Restrictions on multiple platforms mean fewer opportunities to earn, while vehicle EMIs, fuel, maintenance, insurance and household expenses continue.

The impact extends to their families. Every additional day without regular rides adds financial pressure. Drivers are also losing something fundamental to the platform economy, the freedom to choose where they work and which platform offers them the best earning opportunity.

Drivers have also begun voicing their concerns over the continued restrictions. Recent protests and representations by drivers have sought relief from the suspension, highlighting the impact on their livelihoods.

With aggregators such as inDrive and Ola maintaining that they have taken steps to meet the applicable compliance requirements, drivers associated with these platforms are seeking an early review and lifting of the suspensions so that they can return to earning through their preferred platforms.

For drivers, the issue is increasingly straightforward: if the required compliances have been addressed to the satisfaction of the authorities, they want the opportunity to get back on the road and earn.

Chandigarh commuters are losing choice

Ride-hailing apps are an important part of everyday mobility across Chandigarh and the wider Tricity.

Chandigarh's ride-hailing market is not merely a collection of companies. It is an ecosystem involving hundreds of thousands of consumers, drivers and families who depend on mobility and earning opportunities.Competition gives consumers alternatives.

From office and college commutes to hospital visits, railway station and airport transfers, late-evening journeys and first- and last-mile connectivity, residents depend on on-demand mobility throughout the day. Around one lakh residents are estimated to use cab services daily in Chandigarh.

Competition gives drivers alternatives.

Competition encourages platforms to improve technology, safety, availability, pricing and service.Removing competing platforms therefore affects more than corporate interests.It affects consumer choice and economic opportunity. A regulated market should protect consumers from unsafe or non-compliant operators.Consumers should not inadvertently become the beneficiaries of a market with fewer choices simply because regulatory enforcement has removed competing providers.

The Chandigarh Administration has said that the suspensions were imposed over alleged non-compliance with the Chandigarh Motor Vehicles Aggregators Rules, 2025, including requirements related to fares, insurance, training and other operational norms.

The strongest regulatory framework is one in which every operator is required to comply, every operator is held accountable, and every compliant operator is allowed to compete.

However, representatives of suspended aggregators have approached the State Transport Authority seeking revocation of the suspensions. With compliance measures now addressed by operators such as inDrive and Ola, the continued suspension raises an important question: what more is required before these platforms can resume operations and drivers can return to earning?

This makes the next question particularly important: where an aggregator has addressed the cited requirements and can demonstrate compliance, should the suspension continue, particularly when drivers and commuters are bearing the consequences?

A transparent and timely review of compliance would provide clarity not only to the companies involved, but also to thousands of drivers waiting to resume regular earning opportunities.

Is Chandigarh creating a ride-hailing monopoly?

The situation also raises a broader competition question. While the major private ride-hailing platforms remain suspended, Bharat Taxi is currently the only major aggregator operating in Chandigarh.

When multiple established competitors remain restricted and commuters are effectively left with one major ride-hailing option, concerns naturally arise about market concentration and the risk of an effective monopoly.

A competitive mobility ecosystem gives passengers the ability to compare availability, fares and service, while allowing drivers to choose the platforms through which they want to earn. Reduced competition can narrow those choices.

For a modern and growing city such as Chandigarh, commuters should have access to multiple mobility options and drivers should have the freedom to choose between different earning platforms.