‘The apps are demon themselves and in India it's donkey job,’ Bengaluru man talks about cab driver life after 1.5 years of unemployment

India’s booming gig economy powers everyday conveniences from cab rides to food deliveries, but behind these services are millions of workers clocking punishing hours for modest earnings.

Increasingly, social media is becoming a window into this hidden reality. A recent viral post by a Bengaluru-based cab driver has reignited debate around the cost of “flexible” work and the human toll it extracts.

Shared on the r/bangalore subreddit, the driver’s account lays bare the financial precarity many gig workers face.

Bengaluru man shares cab driver life

After being unemployed for a year and a half and accumulating debt from a failed business, he rented a yellow-board cab and signed up with Uber and Rapido to make ends meet. What followed, he wrote, was a relentless routine of 16-hour workdays.

Despite earning around Rs 4,000 daily, most of that income is consumed by basic expenses. Car rent alone costs Rs 1,500 a day, fuel about Rs 1,200, and food and water another Rs 200, leaving him with roughly Rs 1,000. “It’s really hard, especially with the traffic in the city,” he noted, underscoring how thin the margins are.

The physical strain is equally severe.

“Legs pain, knees shout loud and clear to stop,” he wrote, adding that he sleeps only six hours a day and has no time or energy for anything beyond work.

The pressure from ride-hailing apps compounds the stress. Describing it as a “donkey job,” he explained how the system rewards the fastest responses.

“The apps are a demon themselves, and in india it's a donkey job,” he wrote. “Millions are ready to work like this just to get about the day, living life on daily basis doing such hard work, unable to save anything at all, risking their health and life every single day.”

Missing an order by even a few seconds can hurt a driver’s performance rating, directly affecting future earnings.

Even after returning home, the work doesn’t end. Washing the car, refuelling, and waiting in long queues are part of the nightly grind. “Is this even living?” he asked. “Cheap labour is why others can enjoy the privilege. Either be the exploiter or be exploited.”

The rant of a Driver
byu/Next_Candy_3491 inbangalore

Netizens respond

The post struck a chord online, drawing thousands of reactions. Many expressed empathy, with users saying they could feel the “mental and physical pain” in his words.

Others debated rental costs, while several called for greater respect and kindness toward gig workers.

As India’s platform economy continues to expand, stories like this challenge consumers to confront an uncomfortable truth that convenience often comes at a human cost.

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