This archive report was first published on 15 July 2019.
On Monday, July 15, 2019, digital taxi drivers in Kenya downed their tools to push for better pricing from dominant app companies, which they accuse of ignoring terms of a deal entered into in July, last year.
According to Mr. John Kimani, President of the Digital Taxi Forum, the drivers plan to operate under saccos, similar to their counterparts in the matatu sector. This move will give drivers and vehicle owners a voice and a chance to engage with the app companies and government agencies.
“Currently, the app companies are dictating the working model, which is skewed in their favor,” Mr. Kimani said.
The drivers are seeking to earn Sh42 per kilometre and Sh4 per minute for 1300cc engine vehicles and below. Currently, Uber charges Sh16 per kilometre and Sh2 per minute, while Bolt charges Sh14 per kilometre and Sh2 per minute.
They also want commissions on the use of the technology apps to be standardized at between five and ten percent of the total earnings.
Mr. Kimani added that the sacco model will ensure all parties operate from mutually agreed parameters. To check the proliferation of dubious saccos and compliance, they propose to form an association of online taxi saccos.
The drivers' protest was temporarily disrupted after police lobbed teargas canisters to disperse their gathering at Uhuru Park, Nairobi. They later reassembled and continued with their boycott.
