Uber & Taxify
Disruption: SA Transport
The Pros and Cons
Warning: this article contains graphic content
CONTEXT: You can read the background about this series over here. Some modes of transport work efficiently in some areas, and in other areas they bring more harm than help. In the previous articles the pros and cons of GautrainBuses & Train, Putco Buses, Metro Buses, Minibus Taxis, Metered Taxis, Uber/Taxify as well as other modes have been discussed.
Every trip I take, is an opportunity to get an inside look into someone else’s world. I ask drivers about their reasons for joining Taxify/Uber or Metered Taxi. Each person carrying a rich background full of stories and opinions about other drivers, the system, gain/loss of market share, the government, South Africa & life in general.
All people are a mixture of strange + fascinating…Each different, yet all the same.
Recently I was picked up by a female driver
Female drivers are rare. In the past 1.5 years, I have only been picked up by 2 women. Let’s call the latter, “S”. We spoke about her life, and why she chose to become a driver. “S” began by breaking down her routine/ schedule:
- Works mornings for another lady as a Home Executive, where she assists in cleaning the home interiors
- While playing the role of nanny and driver for the kids to and from school.
- By 15:00 “S” finishes up, and then starts her role as a Taxify driver.
- Ending by 20:00 each evening. — She never works the busy party nights like Thursday to Saturday, as she fears picking up drunk men, based on previous unpleasant experiences with these pick-ups. (As drunk-party-types will generally travel in groups and are too rowdy, too familiar).
- She’s a 48 year old single mother, who bought her car 2 years ago, and is putting her daughters through school (one in primary, one going to tertiary).
A key thing she mentioned which stuck with me:
“I am finally able to give my daughters more out of life by running my own business as a driver”
-How awesome is that?
Her words mirror the thoughts gathered from all the drivers I’ve met over the years. Both Metered Taxi drivers as well as Uber/Taxify. All of them are hard working individuals who devote all their time to driving. People who drive for their bread and butter. People who hustle while building their dream jobs in the background. Others have existing businesses, or day jobs, and drive in spare time to work toward eventually running their own business. Many of whom feel that no one can survive on one salary. All of whom are sick of 9–5 routines, corporates, desk jobs, suits, ties, lies and nepotism.
Each driver I’ve met (past and present) was an Entrepreneur dying for a better solution. A way to live their lives on their terms and take control of the limited time allocated to them; (or at least the illusion of this sense of control remains). These platforms facilitate this, uplifting & empowering drivers.
This is the nice side of the coin. The flip side is much darker…
What is the latest problem which springs from the Uber/Taxify disruption
Belief in reduced market share > Fear of inability to provide for family needs > Threatened by competition > Negative intergroup attitude > The belief that we are different > Group distinctions perpetuated by stereotypes > irrational decision making influenced by fear > Turf wars > Violence.
Recently, another Taxify driver I met was discussing the disturbing tragedy which happened in Pretoria recently. The 21 year old student, Siyabonga Ngcobo who was only on the Taxify platform for 1 week : kidnapped and burnt in his car.
Who by the way, is no longer mentioned in the news, (no arrests made — which seems to be the general result of most of these cases)
The saddest thing about this tragedy, is that — it isn’t the first time this has happened to a driver.
The fact is, that it happens to all drivers, not just Uber or Taxify, but Metered Taxi‘s too.
Many drivers over the past year have related incidents which have occurred in both Joburg & Pretoria
How sad, that these incidents are common — that this is “normal”
Another driver went on to tell me that only a few weeks ago, he was affected personally by this violence
He has worked hard over the years, and recently bought a new car. He signed up as a driver and in a period of a year moved from Taxify driver-partner option to fleet option. Which allows multiple cars and drivers under your fleet. He was driving his older car, and the newer one, he had an allocated driver for.
His partner (who drove the new car), was in Pretoria when metered cabs cornered him and took the keys out of his ignition. The man luckily fled away. But bricks were thrown at the car, windows all smashed, front bumper messed up. The perpetrators then managed to turn his car sideways and were about to set it alight. But were stopped by nearby tow-truck drivers. His car was only saved because these guys towed his car. Now, even though he works hard, he has a R28,000.00 bill to repair his car, which he can’t afford. He was almost on track and making progress, but now he has to rebuild all over again.
However, he is happy that a driver whatsapp group has been set up, where any of the taxify drivers can notify each other if they are in need of assistance. They will all flock together to try to protect each other.
“We have to look after each other, because the police won’t do anything to help us”.
-Many drivers seem to echo words of unfair treatment or a “don’t-care-attitude” from the police force.
The sad thing is, everyone is trying to make a living, (on all sides of the transport system). Drivers: each supplementing their income by setting up multiple streams; being on more than one driving platform & having more than one job.
The number of drivers have increased, but not the number and frequency of customers.
Depending on one platform/ one job alone, will not ensure weekly targets will be reached. Other drivers have mentioned that they are driving for someone else and do not own the cars they arrive in; they are part of the driver-fleet options. And hence a percentage is taken by Uber/Taxify as well as a percentage by the car owner. In those cases they will usually have a target like R2500 to reach weekly. Thereafter, anything over and above is their profit. Some drivers say this works out well for them, as they are able to make the car owners money in the first 2 days of the week, and the other 5 days are their own. Others see it differently:
“I see only 25% of the trip fee, but I work 7 days a week for more than 16 hours per day. Sleeping in between trips. I hardly see my family. Once I can get my own car, I don’t have to drive for someone else anymore. ”
Others have side business’ or day jobs, ( varied roles/completely different from driving gig), who hardly sleep. Some are lucky to have 4 hours each night. Others sleep in between passenger pick ups. Makes me worry just how safe it is to be on the road at all anymore with most drivers probably suffering from stress and fatigue. It’s sad, because I can understand why they would need to resort to this lifestyle and lose sleep. However, in this situation, sleep is one thing you can’t compromise on.
The tragic irony is that this problem affects all drivers: Uber, Taxify & Metered Taxis
The idea of “us versus them” is flawed. There is no distinction, as many of these drivers work on all 3 of these platforms. And yet, amongst them, there are individuals who resort to violence — who don’t see that they are all in the same boat. Each one, simply a normal family orientated person or dreamer trying to earn a living. Others see a threat, and choose to take an irrational violent approach.
If you were a driver of any kind, why would you think that hurting people was going to fix the situation. That just makes passengers not want to use your services ever again. It makes no sense at all.
Who can fix this?
People seem to forget, that no matter what anyone else does, we each have a personal responsibility toward our planet & people. Think beyond self interest. — Ultimately, our personal responsibility is toward each other.
Did we lose our spirit of ubuntu?
In case you’ve forgotten, here’s the definition:
u|buntu
[ʊˈbʊntʊ]
NOUN | SOUTH AFRICAN
Reported translations covered the semantic field of “human nature, humanness, humanity; virtue, goodness, kindness”
Grammatically, the word combines the root -ntʊ̀ “person, human being” with the class 14 ubu- prefix forming abstract nouns,[5] so that the term is exactly parallel in formation to the abstract noun humanity.[6]
Ubuntu (Zulu pronunciation: [ùɓúntʼù])[1][2] is a Nguni Bantu term meaning “humanity”. It is often translated as “I am because we are,” and also “humanity towards others”, but is often used in a more philosophical sense to mean “the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity”
- a quality that includes the essential human virtues; compassion and humanity.
- The term appears in the Epilogue of the Interim Constitution of South Africa (1993), “there is a need for understanding but not for vengeance, a need for reparation but not for retaliation, a need for ubuntu but not for victimisation”.[7]
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