Mumbai auto drivers protest Marathi requirement; blocks road, announces 3-day strike

A group of autorickshaw and taxi drivers in Mumbai are staging protests after the Regional Transport Officer made it mandatory for autorickshaw and taxi drivers in Maharashtra to have a working knowledge of Marathi to communicate with commuters.

The protesters, who were non-Marathi speakers, said that the directive would put an additional financial burden on them.

The trans[port department, meanwhile, is taking action against driver show have violated the rules. More than 2,500 drivers have been issued show-cause notices across the state.

The drivers said that they have avoided housing near railway stations, malls, and main roads and temporarily even closed their vehicles due to fear of scrutiny and action.

The driver staged a roadblock on Kandivli Link Road opposing the requirement by the government.

Protesters said that older drivers lacked formal education and struggled to meet the language requirement.

One driver said, “We are 55-60-year-olds. We have never been to a school. How can we speak Marathi? Had we been educated, we would have been sitting in an office. We are trying to speak broken Marathi, but that is not being considered; we are being penalised instead.

“Can we pay Rs 15,000-20,000 as fine? We will do this 3-day strike until justice is done,” he said.

The Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Amendment, 2026 said that the a practical knowledge of Marathi is mandatory for rickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers.

The licence of drivers who do not know Marathi can be suspended for three months, and a repeated violation of the rule can cause it to be cancelled permanently.

On the first day of the inspection drive, 1,268 drivers were issued notices out of 8,217 taxi drivers.

In Mumbai, 604 drivers were issued notices out of 3,995 drivers who were inspected.