Indian ride sharing company Ola has recently urged the government for loan waivers for its drivers and has also put up a suggestion to set up a support fund for ride-hailing companies and for large fleet operators as well.
As per a Reuters report, Ola has sent a letter to the government to provide the drivers with a six month period of relaxation for paying certain taxes.
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The company also wants short-term, interest-free loans for taxi aggregators to meet their working capital needs.
Ola is also urging the government to provide a twelve month period for its drivers on repaying car loans as they are facing difficulties in the period of 21-day lockdown of the entire country that has been imposed by the government in an effort to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
“Mobility as a public utility service is the worst hit during these stressed times,” Ola stated.
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“The driver partners associated with ride-hailing companies who are dependent on such services for their daily livelihoods are already experiencing a near-complete loss of income,” it added.
Ola and its rival company Uber employs a number of people as its taxi drivers.
While making the announcement of the 21-day lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said even those nations with the best of the medical facilities could not contain the virus and that physical distancing is the only option to mitigate it.
“All of you are also witnessing how the most advanced countries of the world have been rendered absolutely helpless by this pandemic. It is not that these countries are not putting in adequate efforts or they lack resources. The coronavirus is spreading at such a rapid pace that despite all the preparations and efforts, these countries are finding it hard to manage the crisis,” he added.