Drivers of e-hailing transport firms Uber, Bolt, and Little Cab in Kenya have this morning gone on strike to demand a higher share of payment and commissions due to increases in fuel prices and a rising cost of living.
The drivers had earlier issued a 24-hour notice for the ride-hailing services to address their concerns, adding that the companies have been blatantly ignoring calls for better pay.
The drivers say that the strike will remain active until they reach an agreement.
“Hi, Cyprian,
We are suffering as Uber drivers in Kenya.
Fuel has gone up but this company are lowering their rates every day, basically, it’s a race to the bottom.
We have decided to switch off our apps from Wednesday, 4th May, 2022, until they improve our working environment
Everything has gone up in the recent past, Except one thing which is online taxi fares.
These companies are still competing on who will charge less to attract more customers, but they never consider us the service providers
Right now a litre of Petrol is Sh145, and will soon hit Sh175.
On Average almost every trip within Nairobi will take a minimum of 20 min to Complete, this translates to the fuel of at least a Litre, then you collect Sh180 or Sh200.
- WHAT WE WANT
- With the current cost of fuel, the Minimum per trip should be Sh300.
- No Online hailing Taxi company should collect more than 15%.
- Sh45 per kilometer and Sh5k per min.
- No Locked fares: A trip should be calculated as per time taken (5kesp/min) + Distance covered.
- We don’t want upfront fares.
- Discounts should not exceed the commission of the company.
- Every time fuel goes up, the same difference should be added to the distance per KM.
- No driver should be blocked because of cancellation, the driver on the ground always has a Reason for Cancellation.
- We are stakeholders of this business and hence should be required to Participate on changes Concerning price.
- No app should be cheaper than the other, we want standard rates across all apps.
Drivers, join me and with Unity the above can be achieved, let’s organise a massive switch off until all our grievances are listened to.
Please help us so that this information may reach the public and media houses out here,” reads the notice.
This is not the first time that the drivers allied to the online cab hailing platforms are complaining about their pricing.
In 2017, Uber drivers complained that the company was reducing the fare for customers yet the base fare remained the same. They complained that they were not making any profits despite the amount of work they done.
The drivers have apparently tried lodging a complaint with the Ministry of Transport but the recommendations set could not be implemented as there is no body regulating the online platforms.
