Uber Records One Billion Trips Milestone in Africa
Since entering the African market less than ten years ago, Uber, a worldwide ride-hailing services provider, has completed one billion journeys. On the continent, it has traveled over 10 billion kilometers.
The organization is making significant progress on the African continent, including providing job opportunities as well as safer and more convenient transportation options. Uber hasn’t been without its setbacks. South African drivers recently took to the streets to protest unsafe working conditions and unfair commissions.
According to a report by News24, Uber has stated that it will not abandon the 25% fee it charges contractual drivers. Drivers urged that the commission be cut to 10% during a nationwide walkout in March.
Uber Nigeria Country Manager Tope Akinwumi, on the other hand, claims that the ride-hailing company has reduced its service charge in Abuja and Lagos.
“We hope that by doing so, we will be able to ensure that drivers can maximize their profits while on the road and continue to make a living while using the Uber App,” Akinwumi told IT News Africa.
According to News24, Uber’s general manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, Frans Hiemstra, said, “The services fee or commission is the difficult thing for us to modify because that is what we need to run the business.”
According to Akinwumi, they take the drivers’ concerns seriously and connect with them on a regular basis through approved channels to hear any grievances or issues they may have.
“These feedback sessions are held every two weeks and once a month.” “These sessions represent a diverse variety of drivers, ensuring Uber understands the issues of a broad range of drivers,” Akinwumi added.
Akinwumi claims that the Uber app has a variety of mechanisms in place to protect the safety of both drivers and clients, including Real-Time ID Check, which encourages drivers to snap a selfie before taking rides and matches it to the driver’s profile photo. This ensures that the person driving matches the Uber account on file.
In addition, the Uber app has a Two-Factor Authorization (2FA) feature, which requires drivers to enter an OTP when logging in to their phone on a new device, as well as a Verify Your Ride feature, which allows riders to receive a four-digit PIN code to provide to their drivers before beginning a trip requested through the Uber app.
The following are some of the features included in the Safety Toolkit:
- Trusted Contacts, which shares your trip details with your loved ones
- 24/7 Incident Response Team who are trained to manage any safety incident
- A dedicated law enforcement team that works closely with the local authorities when required.
- Injury Protection – this is provided by AXA Mansard and available to both riders and drivers during a trip, at no cost to them. They are protected from the moment the trip is accepted, through to when the trip ends.
