Boycott These Taxi Apps- Drivers To Kenyans

A notice by the Organization of Online Drivers said that drivers will cease booking passengers through the apps

admin admin
Nov 21, 2022 - 11:13 Updated: Nov 21, 2022 - 11:35
0
Boycott These Taxi Apps- Drivers To Kenyans
An image of a fleet of taxis. /FILE

Kenyans using digital taxi-hailing platforms Uber and Bolt have been advised to look for alternative apps for their trips following a strike notice issued by the drivers of the two platforms.

A notice by the Organization of Online Drivers seen by Viral Tea said that drivers will cease booking passengers through the apps on Monday, November 21.

"The Organization of Online Drivers would like to notify the public that beginning November 21, 2022, we shall not be providing online hailing services under the Uber and Bolt platforms. This follows failure by the above to comply with regulations published by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure on June 20, 2022," the notice read in part.

The drivers however noted that Kenyans will still be able to access three apps, including locally-owned Little Cabs.

Inside an Uber taxi. /FILE

"You shall, however, be able to get the services on the compliant platforms namely Little Cabs, Hava Cabs and Yego Mobility. You are kindly requested to download any of the compliant apps," the notice read in part.

The drivers had lamented over high commissions by the two firms and had previously claimed that Uber and Bolt failed to implement the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) (Transport Network Companies, Owners, Drivers and Passengers) Regulations, 2022 that cap the commissions charged by the firms at 18 per cent per trip.

Uber recently cut its commission charged on fares to 18 per cent from 25 per cent to comply with the regulations. Bolt and Little Cab charge 20 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively.

“A transport network agreement shall not include any terms or conditions designed to increase the commission payable by a transport network driver or transport network owner such that it exceeds 18 per cent of the total earnings per trip,” the regulations state.

The organization's chairman, Justin Nyaga, had revealed to the Nation that while Uber cut the commission, it circumvented the regulations by increasing its booking fee from four per cent to 11 per cent per trip, virtually wiping out any gains the drivers hoped to get from the cut in commissions.

“We (drivers) are now paying a higher booking fee as Uber has increased the fee from four per cent to 11 per cent. This defeats the purpose of cutting the commission,” Nyaga said.

The two apps were previously listed by NTSA among the four taxi-hailing companies allowed to operate in Kenya. Yego and Little Cabs were also listed.

"In carrying outs its mandate and in line with the requirements of the NTSA Transport Network Companies  (TNC), Drivers and Passenger Rules, 2022, the following companies are licenced to operate as Transport Network Companies," NTSA's statement on Monday, October 31 read in part.

Bolt is based in Estonia while Uber is based in the United States (US). Yego is based in Barcelona, Spain.

Little Cab is a fully owned taxi-hailing technology of Craft Silicon Ltd, a Kenyan company based in Westlands, Nairobi, meaning it is the only approved local taxi-hailing app.

Among the requirements for approval for the taxi-hailing companies was to have a physical address in the country as well as a functional contact number, all of which were published in the notice.

NTSA sought to license digital hailing firms just as they do with matatus and buses to streamline the sector. The regulations gazetted on June 20, 2022, by the authority require that transport network companies and transport network service providers be licensed before their apps can be used in the country.

Taxi cabs in Kenya. /FILE

Tags: