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'Fruitless' e-hailing protest called off

Sibahle Malinga
By Sibahle Malinga, ITWeb senior news journalist.
Johannesburg, 03 Apr 2023

A planned nationwide e-hailing shutdown, expected to take place from today, was called off at the last minute, after failing to gather enough support from partner drivers, who fear losing wages.

The protest, called predominantly by Bolt drivers, was expected to see scores of customers stranded over the next five days, as drivers planned to go offline in protest of poor working conditions, safety and security concerns, and low wages.

According to drivers who spoke to ITWeb, the strike action was sparked by the death of a 28-year-old Bolt partner driver, who was gunned down by hijackers he had picked up in Midrand on 24 March.

However, after careful consideration, the E-hailing Partners’ Council (EPC) says it urged the drivers organising the protest to cancel the “fruitless exercise”, which would have seen them lose thousands of rands in earnings.

“After our engagement with the group of drivers, we resolved that the strike should be called off,” Henry Mathebula, chairperson of the E-hailing Partners' Council, tells ITWeb.

“This doesn’t mean we have reached consensus with the e-hailing companies; they are still not hearing us out. We are cancelling mainly because it becomes a fruitless exercise.

“So, what we have decided as an industry is to work towards transformation of the industry and changing the system by engaging local app companies that will understand our plight better than Uber and Bolt. These are the app companies we are more interested in working with.”

E-hailing drivers and operators have held protests over the past few years, marching to the Gauteng Transport Department and Uber and Bolt offices, to call for the introduction of a regulatory framework that would improve working conditions for the industry.

At the centre of their grievances are low earnings, which they say have been further exacerbated by the rising inflation and petrol prices.

Bolt drivers are charged 20% commission, with an additional 5% booking fee deducted from each trip. Uber takes a 25% commission, with a booking fee of 3%.

Furthermore, the industry is plagued by violence, with many drivers being victimised and harassed over the past few years by metered taxi industry rivals and criminals.

While e-hailing mediation talks between all involved stakeholders have been taking place since last year, there has been no progress in most of the issues raised, according to Mathebula.

“There is absolutely no point in protesting. A more effective approach is channelling our resources to locally-developed apps. Once we have reached agreements with them, we will update the media.”

Uber and Bolt tell ITWeb they are aware of a group of drivers who were planning to protest from 3 to 9 April.

“We are open to engaging with the representatives of these earners who plan to protest to understand their complaints and attempt to find a workable solution for the benefit of inclusive ride-sharing and e-commerce industries,” says Mpho Mutuwa, head of communications for Uber South Africa.

“Earners face unique challenges on the road. We stand for safety; hence we continue to invest heavily in technology. We have launched several industry-leading safety features over the years dedicated to the South African market.”

In terms of earnings, Uber continues to do as much as possible to enhance the earnings potential of drivers and delivery people, and leverage innovative offerings to help them, Mutuwa points out.

“Bolt is compassionate towards drivers and the macro-economic factors they face, and we are constantly looking for ways to increase driver earnings, including incentivising passengers, launching new categories and establishing partnerships with other brands,” says Takura Malaba, Bolt regional manager for east and southern Africa.

“Crimes against ride-hailing drivers continue to be a national issue of great concern and the safety of passengers and drivers utilising the Bolt platform is of utmost importance to us.

“Bolt is cooperating with the police to provide all the relevant information required to assist in every case, as well as provide the impacted driver with all the information needed for trauma counselling with our provider.”

A new locally-developed ride-hailing platform, BozaRide, officially announced its entry in the South African market last week, with rollout set to begin in Gauteng this month.

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