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Unemployed Bengaluru man shares viral 16-hour cab driving routine & earnings

Posted By: Jaydatt Chaudhary Posted On: Jan 31, 2026Share Article
Unemployed Bengaluru man shares viral 16-hour cab driving routine & earnings
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'Is this even living?' Unemployed Bengaluru man shares viral 16-hour cab driving routine & earnings

A Bengaluru man's Reddit post about surviving the gig economy has gone viral. After 1.5 years of unemployment, he shares a brutal breakdown of his 16-hour workday, Rs 4,000 daily earnings, and the "donkey job" reality of driving for Uber and Rapido.

A heartbreaking Reddit post by a Bengaluru man has sparked a huge online debate about the tough conditions of India's gig economy. After 1.5 years of unemployment and a failed business venture that left him deep in credit card debt, the man turned to cab driving as a final option. He found himself stuck in a cycle of 16-hour workdays with hardly any savings.

In a post titled "The rant of a driver," the user shared the physical, mental, and financial strain of surviving on ride-hailing apps like Uber and Rapido.

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Even though he earns a lot each day, the driver revealed the costs of operating a "yellow board" (commercial) vehicle in Bengaluru leave him with barely enough to live on.

"I sleep for about 6 hours a day and have little time left for anything besides work," he shared. He added that constant traffic and physical strain have resulted in chronic leg and knee pain.

The driver criticised the "fastest finger first" approach of modern aggregator apps, claiming they treat human drivers like machines.

The 5-second rule: Drivers must accept orders within seconds. Any delay lets another driver "steal" the ride and leads to a performance rating penalty for the first driver.

Constant monitoring: The need to keep eyes glued to a phone while navigating Bengaluru's notorious traffic creates a layer of extreme psychological stress.

The "exploiter" cycle: He described the gig economy in India as a "donkey job" where millions are pushed into high-risk, low-reward work just to get through the day.

The post quickly went viral on the r/Bangalore subreddit, gathering thousands of comments from sympathetic residents.

"In every line you wrote, I could feel the mental and physical pain. Life is unfair to the unprivileged," one user commented.

Others pointed out that the "anger" often seen in cab and auto drivers—often criticized by passengers—likely comes from this level of exhaustion and financial struggle.

The driver's story highlights a larger trend in 2026, where even educated professionals (the driver had previously tried to start a business) are being pushed into gig work due to a shrinking job market for white-collar positions.

Cheap labor is why others can enjoy the privilege," he concluded. "Either be the exploiter or be exploited.

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