Just a day after drivers working with digital ride-hailing companies held demonstrations in Nairobi pushing for reduced commissions, Governor Johnson Sakaja held a meeting with Markus Villig, Founder and CEO, who is currently on a visit to the country.
On Thursday 16, Feb 2023, the RideHail Transport Organization, an association of digital taxi Saccos in Kenya issued a seven-day strike notice to the industry regulator, the National Transport and Safety Authority(NTSA).
The drivers are pushing the regulator to compel ride-hailing companies to reduce the commissions they are charged on each trip from between 23-29% to the legally-stipulated 18%.
The organization lamented that despite the passing of the Transportation Network Companies (TNC), Drivers, and Passengers Regulations 2022, there has been minimal compliance with its directives.
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“We ask the Nairobi governor, Mr. Sakaja, to revoke the bolt licensed in Nairobi for it has not met all the sensitive regulations as gazetted. For instance, it does not have a physical office where drivers can reach them in case of a complaint or compliment,” Wycliffe Alutala, the organization’s spokesperson told journalists.
The push and pull between digital ride-hailing companies and drivers led to a love-hate relationship between stakeholders. Drivers say that the commissions charged are punitive, considering the rising cost of living.
“They are charging 29% commission way up from the NTSA capping of 18%. We have taxi-hailing apps in Kenya like Yego which hit the market recently but their commission is as low as 12%. We have no issues so far with such companies,” the Sacco representatives complained.
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