India, July 19 -- Mumbai: The ongoing strike by drivers of app-based cabs in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and other cities in Maharashtra fizzled out on Friday, with the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT), among the largest of the 14 unions participating in the strike, urging drivers to return to their jobs. Although a section of the drivers and unions were in favour of prolonging the stir, a majority of them were concerned about the impact on their livelihood and wanted to give some time to the state government to consider their demands. Officials from the state transport department also held a meeting with the unions on Friday, requesting them to withdraw the protest. "We informed the driver unions that we are positively working towards implementing the policy for app-based cabs soon. We are also taking action against bike taxis plying on roads illegally," Bharat Kalaskar, additional transport commissioner, transport department, told Hindustan Times. Drivers of app-based cabs went on strike on July 14, initially for a day which was later extended for an indefinite period. Their demands include prompt implementation of the aggregator cab policy, fare parity with kaali peeli taxis, ban on app-based bikes and autos, and rollback of the toll-free number launched on Thursday on which customers can lodge complaints about refusals. Drivers are also concerned about financial distress, especially in light of the recent alleged suicide of an app-based cab driver in Nallasopara. With hundreds of app-based cabs going off road owing to the strike, commuters were faced with increased wait time of at least 8-12 minutes for aggregator taxis, along with a corresponding hike in fares. On Friday, driver unions held multiple meetings at Azad Maidan, where the protest is ongoing, and terminal one of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to decide on the future course of action. Fare parity with regular taxis was among the core demands of protesting drivers, said Anand Kute, organising secretary, Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh, one of the participating unions. While the base fare for kaali peelis is Rs.31 for 1.5 kms and subsequent fare slabs are based on distance, there is no such mechanism for aggregator cabs. "Drivers of app-based cabs earn barely Rs.8-12 per kilometre, of which 20-30% goes to the aggregator and the government too levies taxes. This leaves them with barely any money," said Kute. At CSMIA, drivers complained about fellow drivers and fringe elements damaging their vehicles and snatching their mobile phones and money because they were plying on the road despite the ongoing strike. Such incidents were occurring on the fringes of the MMR, in areas like Vasai-Virar, Kalyan, Thane and Navi Mumbai, they said. Aggregator companies like Uber and Ola were also threatening to blacklist drivers if they did not resume work, the drivers added. "Condering the overall situation, we told drivers to resume plying their cabs for now as their families are suffering," said Prashant Sawardekar, president, IFAT. "We will wait for the state government to revert on our demands. We will also be meeting them." Sawardekar said that since the government had on July 14 asked for 15 days to sort out the demands raised by drivers, they would wait till the deadline expired before taking a fresh call. "If the government fails to come up with solutions and meet our demands, we will restart our protest," he said. A representative of another drivers' union said they would rope in unions of autorickshaw and taxi drivers if they had to resume the protest. "We have also begun speaking to fleet operators who oversee 70% of the aggregator cabs plying in Mumbai, and asked them to participate in the protest," the union functionary said. On Thursday, state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik announced the launch of a dedicated toll-free number - 1800 220 110 - for complaints related to passenger vehicles in the MMR. Commuters can raise complaints about issues like fare refusal, rude behavior, overloading, driving without a badge, and overcharging through the number....