Uber drives partnerships with multiple stakeholders
When Uber started in 2009, its mission was to help people everywhere get a ride, safely, quickly and at the push of a button.
That mission remains the same eight years later and Uber’s innovative, technologydriven business model is still fundamentally changing the way people think about meeting their transport needs.
For the past four years, Uber has been delivering this level of transformation across subSaharan Africa and, with more than 1.8-million active riders using the app, it has reason to celebrate its fourth anniversary on the continent this September.
And it’s not just Uber that has benefited from the stellar uptake of its convenient offering in Africa. The sub-Saharan countries in which Uber now has a presence, and their citizens, are also reaping socioeconomic rewards.
At an economic level, these benefits take many forms. In many cities, the reliability, immediacy, and convenience that Uber offers to city residents and visitors are having the positive effect of helping to reduce congestion.
In most urban parts of subSaharan Africa, single-occupant vehicles remain the biggest contributors to gridlock. But increasing numbers of city residents are recognising that Uber offers a cost-effective way of sharing their daily commute with others.
Repeat Uber usage in SA is a prime example of these shifting private transport perceptions. In September, almost 25,000 riders each used Uber more than 10 times a week, which points to the increasing adoption of this tech-driven solution, not just as a leisure transport option, but also for work and business purposes. Uber is a true alternative to private car ownership.
Another significant benefit that Uber is delivering in subSaharan Africa is enabling and empowering economic opportunities and offering more choice. The steadily growing number of Uber driverpartners in countries across the region is testament to the appeal of the business model.
It creates real opportunities for local entrepreneurs to create and enjoy the flexibility and enhanced earnings potential — for themselves and, ultimately, for individuals that many of them bring into their thriving businesses.
And growing demand for trips across sub-Saharan Africa leads to a steadily growing need for drivers. Currently, more than 29,000 driver-partners are taking advantage of the earnings generating opportunities delivered by the Uber app. The Uber model allows them to be as flexible as they need to be, which means that they are able to earn what they want, when they want, either as full-time entrepreneurs or to supplement other sources of income.
Uber investigates partnerships with businesses that bring benefits to drivers, such as the multiple vehicle financing programmes that have been made available to drivers across SA, Kenya and Nigeria, that reduce barriers to credit and capital.
The first partnership of this kind was implemented in SA, with WesBank offering existing drivers access to vehicles at preferential rates, with a view to establishing their own passenger transport business. This unique model is based on driver ratings and earning potential, as opposed to the norm of credit checks. The model was successfully expanded across sub-Saharan Africa and is being tested in markets across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Uber also invests heavily in supporting its driver-partners in their businesses through technological innovation as well as a physical presence in the form of support hubs.
Apart from the existing Greenlight Hubs across subSaharan Africa, five more of these state-of-the-art hubs were opened in Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Kampala, Kumasi and Lagos this year. In addition to offering driver-partners technical and app support, they also offer information sessions and tailored workshops on training and skills development.
In a region of high unemployment and stagnating economic prospects, Uber’s business partnership approach provides an accessible means for entrepreneurs to not only supplement their own income, but also to become small business owners.
Uber’s approach to shifting perspectives of how people in sub-Saharan Africa move around their cities is one of partnership with all stakeholders. Uber strives at all times to collaborate closely with local regulators to understand the challenges they are grappling with in their cities and then help them to develop workable and accessible solutions that benefit people and economies.
It’s with this in mind that Uber Movement has just launched a new website in Johannesburg to help urban planners, city leaders, third parties and the public better understand the transportation needs of their cities.
This partnership approach has always been at the heart of the business because our global experience has shown us that multimodal transport powered by technology is the best way to promote entrepreneurship, relieve pressure on infrastructure, and deliver safe and efficient transport that helps people connect with work, business and leisure opportunities.
UBER STRIVES TO COLLABORATE CLOSELY WITH LOCAL REGULATORS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR PROBLEMS