New e-hailing service Wanatu, which employs Afrikaans-speaking drivers, is counting on its stringent security measures and school e-hailing offerings to get a thumbs-up from customers.
While it is targeted at Afrikaans speakers, with the slogan “ry in jou taal [ride in your language]”, it is not exclusionary. This was clear after TimesLIVE Premium took a ride in one of their highly secured vehicles.
Wanatu, a play on the Afrikaans “waar na toe [where to]?”, was launched in October by CEO Judith van der Walt. Since then it has gained more than 30,000 registered users, 90 employed drivers and a fleet of hybrid vehicles that operate around Pretoria and Centurion.
Their Afrikaans-only policy is to help connect with the rider while ensuring safety for those who fear the risks of using other e-hailing services.
While reviews spoke highly of its service and its safety and praised the friendly drivers, others on social media have questioned whether the app was discriminatory and designed for only the Afrikaans market.
TimesLIVE Premium booked a trip with a non-Afrikaans-speaking reporter.
Unlike other e-hailing apps, Wanatu's registration process requests users to upload their profile picture — another security measure.
It doesn’t end there. The app takes some time to verify the profile, and after receiving an SMS confirming the successful registration, bank card details can be added.
Once logged in, the homepage requests a point of departure, desired destination and if there are any stops in between. Lower on the screen is the option to select whether it’s a business trip or to choose only female drivers.
The app operates in Afrikaans but can be changed to English for non-Afrikaans speakers.
Among a list of two women and three men, we started with a female driver, but she quickly became unavailable. The next choice was a driver named Dawie Jacobz, who was 10 minutes away. Jacobz arrived in a branded Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid at the exact estimated time of arrival stated on the app.
“Is this your first time? Before we start, I just want to say hi. I do speak other languages, not just Afrikaans. I can speak Zulu and Xhosa,” he said in English.
Jacobz, one of the first drivers employed by Wanatu, proceeded to explain the features of the car.
“The whole car is full of cameras. There is a camera that is facing you at the back, a camera that is looking at me and a camera looking at the front. We have a 24/7 control room that is looking at the car every time. We’ve noticed that some [e-hailing services] are robbing some women too much,” he said.
Just before departing, he made sure the aircon was on at the back while he lowered the volume of the Afrikaans music on the radio. He also mentioned the “help” option on the app, for passengers and drivers to use as a panic button that immediately alerts Fidelity ADT and Brinant security companies to the location of the car.
Unlike other e-hailing services, the drivers are all fully employed by Wanatu. Its approximately 100 drivers all transport riders in a fleet of Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid vehicles with leather seats, all fitted with seven trackers each.
The drivers receive a salary, pay taxes and contribute to the Unemployment Insurance Fund. The app has an option to tip the drivers from a minimum of R10 each after giving a review following each trip.
But the process of becoming a driver was not easy, said the CEO, Van der Walt. She said they have received about 1,000 applications and only one in 10 have been employed as full-time permanent workers.
“For an applicant to be employed, they go through the recruitment process which is long and we do a lot of checks. We do telephone interviews to get a feel of the applicant, then invite some for a face-to-face interview by a recruitment officer who sits full-time and interviews applicants,” she said.
“If she is satisfied that they have the right ingredients, the applicants are sent for a practical driving test with an accredited assessor. If the assessor sees that the driver needs a few more lessons for competence, we can accommodate that.”
The employed drivers are based in the areas where they live and where there is demand for passengers, and they swap cars when their shifts end to avoid driver fatigue, Van der Walt explained.
“The day-shift driver will take the car to the night-shift driver's house once his shift is done. They do a vehicle check before swapping. The night-shift driver would take the day-shift driver back home before starting their shift and will drop it at the day-shift driver when the night shift is done. It is important that they stay close to each other.”
Jacobz said the recruitment process is intense and includes a written test and a practical test. Those who fail do not qualify. Drivers are also required not to have any criminal records.
“We are very busy, every day. I drive all over, and I already come from the airport in the morning. Tomorrow morning I have other people that also need to be taken to the airport,” he said.
While the app has female drivers, there were very few. TimesLIVE Premium selected a female driver for the return trip, but the nearest driver was 25km away, meaning the trip would cost an extra R50.
Van der Walt said 30% of their drivers are female and are often requested to transport children as Wanatu caters to scholar transport. The scholar service, called Skooltoe [to school], transports children of registered users. Parents can arrange ahead of time for their children to be collected while Wanatu calculates the distance, traffic and time the child should arrive at school.
The airport service, called Lughawe [airport], ensures passengers arrive on time to avoid missing their flights, she said.
“Wanatu is empowering. Wanatu is going to show the community that being a driver is a profession and it is not only limited to men. You can be a successful female driver and earn far more than what you would earn as an office administrator. It is a very empowering thing and we have a diverse workplace. Our youngest driver is aged 21 and the eldest is 72."
Vehicles and drivers remain available until 2am and are also used by riders who go to music festivals, such as the recent Calabash at the FNB Stadium, but it would be running 24 hours in the next several weeks, Van der Walt said.
Unlike other e-hailing services that inflate prices at peak hours or popular events like music festivals due to high demand, Wanatu does not, said the driver on the return trip, Tiaan Snyman.
“I picked up people from the Calabash festival [at FNB Stadium] and many of the riders complained that other services were charging people around R800,” he said.
“We also don’t cancel a request, regardless of the distance. Once we accept a ride, I can’t cancel it.
“We are very vigilant of any dangers and risks,” he added.
Van der Walt said though their peak periods are 10% to 15% more than off-peak, they do not inflate prices during large events such as sport events or music concerts.
She said the purpose of the e-hailing service was to provide more than just transport but an experience for passengers and the community, as all drivers are trained to be customer-centred.
“We have a blind 40-year-old passenger who couldn't go to church on Sundays unless her parents took her. Now she can use Wanatu and without feeling unsafe, since we have a client-centric ethos in our business and the driver is trained not only to assist her but not to victimise the vulnerable group.
“Wanatu wants to be a corporate citizen and wants to play a role in the community."
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