E-hailing platforms are infiltrated by criminals because the system is weak, say disgruntled drivers

E-hailing drivers say their industry has become tainted by unscrupulous criminals who easily enter their platforms because of a weak vetting systems. 

“We are getting robbed. We are having our riders robbed and that brings us a bad name. We are asking for regulations as an intervention, we are being harassed by our counterparts in the minibus taxi and meter taxis and we want these issues to be resolved in the regulations,” Melithemba Mnguni, the convener of the e-hailers strike, said on Tuesday.

E-hailing operators for companies including Uber, Bolt and DiDi embarked on a three-day “apps off” protest across SA from Tuesday, calling on the government to introduce industry regulations to improve their working conditions.

In Pretoria, drivers marched to the offices of the department of trade & industry and to the Union Buildings on Tuesday.

E-hailing operators national spokesperson Vhatuka Mbelengwa said the department of trade, industry & competition must correctly define e-hailing companies. 

“We are running our businesses below cost and this is causing so much hazard also for the riders because we cannot sustain our cars. We cannot afford insurance, we cannot afford tyres, the cars are not roadworthy because we are not getting enough earnings. The same pricing is putting us at loggerheads with our counterparts — the minibus taxis — because we are now in direct competition with them,” said Mnguni.

He has asked the government to intervene through regulation.

“We are infiltrated because the system is weak, they are allowing people to masquerade as drivers — they rape our riders, rob our riders, which taints our names as drivers.

“We are being robbed as drivers, with people masquerading as riders, they come to rob us and there is no means to trace them. We are also saying the e-hailing app companies are taking too much commission.

“They have an app each and every cost is for us. Petrol is going up, it's insurance, running the cars, servicing ...” 

Mnguni said the average insurance premium was R2,500-R3,000. “The cars are often being serviced every two months,” he said.

A Bolt driver who did not want to be named said he had challenges with the high commission rate — “they take between 25% and 32%,” he said.

He said there is also a concern for safety.

“Drivers are screened but passengers are never screened so you never know who you are going to pick up, so our safety is compromised. That’s how drivers get hijacked and beaten and some even get killed,” he said.

“We want the base to rise to a minimum of R50. You can’t be travelling with R21 for the past eight to 10 years. We want these e-hailing apps to make sure that they are working with us, they say we are driving partners but we never have a say in whatever they are doing,” he added. 

The frustrated driver criticised the promotions put in place by the companies that they are registered with, saying these cause inconvenience to drivers.

 “They just impose the promo. You get a request and the request says the trip is R120 and you take it. When you end the trip, you get there, the trip says collect R20 ... What are you going to do with R20 when you still need to pour petrol?”

He said the prices must match the standard that they are providing.

“It's wear and tear on the cars,  it's petrol, you as a driver must get paid. You have to pay an instalment and if you are renting a car from someone else, you have to pay them between R2,000 and R2,500 a week so in that case, you end up having nothing for yourself ,” the driver said. 

Rocky Mogakane, an Uber partner and driver, said he is barely surviving and can’t afford to buy proper tyres.

“I can’t survive because I can’t even pay for my car, I work for fuel only. I can’t pay my rent. They must decrease the commission and raise the price,” he said.

Another Bolt driver said the price model is a problem.

“It's a problem in a sense that when people have got apps whereby they request trips, they are using different sim cards because they are not regulated. People take advantage of that to exploit us so that they can pay prices with discounts. Their profiles are not even having any information that we can access, the only information that you can see is only about the trips and the discounts that they are getting,” he said.

He said safety was a major concern.

“When you report anything that happened to you to the police, they tell you that they have nothing to do with that because our business is not regulated. We have clients who come into our vehicles knowing that they don’t have money with them. What happens is that somebody requests on their behalf and when you get to their destination, when you try to contact that person, the phone is off and the person tells you they don’t have money. 

“What should I do as a man, transporting a lady? It’s a big problem, I cannot even get a cent out of her, I have to leave her and move on with life and those things need to be addressed,” he said.

The operators want the presidency to compel transport minister Fikile Mbalula to engage with the e-hailing community. 

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