Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Police shut down anti-Uber demo
A HANDFUL of metered taxi drivers trying to stage a protest against taxi operator Uber at Cape Town International Airport were yesterday stopped by police and metro police and forced to disperse.
The taxi drivers initially gathered at Vangate Mall in Athlone, protesting against Uber over what they claimed were the operator’s low cash rates which were not good for their businesses.
Uber, which had used only card payments, recently introduced cash payments. According to the drivers, the new rate was R4 less than what was charged by other metered taxis in the city.
The drivers left Vangate Mall and headed for the airport, where they were met by a heavy police presence which forced them to stop.
When Weekend Argus arrived on the scene, a group of taxi driv- ers, some affiliated to Uber and others from various companies, expressed mixed reactions to the protest.
They all refused to give their names, saying their jobs would be compromised if they spoke to the media.
One driver said the protesters were exercising their right to protest and were trying to make a living.
“Uber charges R6 per kilometre but all the other taxis charge R10 per kilometre.”
“It was fine when Uber used the cards for payment, but now they are using cash and on top of that their rates are killing us,” another driver said.
For a trip from the airport to the centre of Cape Town, a traveller could expect to pay between R250 and R260. The same trip would cost R134 on an Uber taxi, the drivers said.
Some of the drivers operated as Uber drivers while contracted to metered taxi companies in a bid to make more money.
One such driver said while he was making a bit more money, a lot was going to Uber and to car maintenance and he ended up with far less than he hoped for. “In a week, I make R4 554.34. Uber takes R914.83 of this amount. I still have to pay for petrol and keeping the car clean,” he said.
Uber spokeswoman Samantha Allenberg said the company took between 20 and 25 percent as a service fee from the drivers.
In the beginning, Uber was a cashless platform, “because we believed that removing the cash payment option created a better experience for riders and drivers”.
“As we’ve grown and expanded into countries where card penetration is low, we’re exploring new payment methods including cash, that allow a much wider group of people.”
noloyiso.mtembu@inl.co.za