An auto-rickshaw driver taking a nap
An auto-rickshaw driver taking a napReuters

Mumbai's autorickshaws are not plying on the city's roads on Wednesday as part of a strike to demand a ban on cab aggregators such as Ola and Uber.

The one-day strike call has been given by the Mumbai Autorickshawmen's Union, the city's largest auto union, which has claimed the cab services are affecting their business, besides demanding that the Hakim committee fare hike formula should not be scrapped by the government. 

The auto strike has ended up inconveniencing thousands of Mumbaikars at a time when rains have started and schools have reopened. The strike comes two days after a taxi strike in the city on Monday.

"It will be a token strike. The state government should look into our demands and take appropriate measures to resolve the issues. It's affecting our businesses,"  Union leader Shashank Rao told PTI. 

However, the auto strike may just end up backfiring, as commuters are likely to rush for cab services such as Meru, Ola and Uber, while other auto unions have decided to not join the strike. 

Commuters also struck back at the auto union through Twitter, tweeting how the strike had eased traffic in the otherwise choked city.

In fact, #autostrike was trending not only in India but also worldwide, thanks to the deluge of Twitter posts. 

Here are some interesting Twitter reactions to the #autostrike: 

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