The Nakuru Digital Taxi drivers and owners have entered into a working agreement MYRIDE PAP LIMITED in bid to address what they term as continued oppression by digital applications.
The move under the umbrella E-HAILING TRANSPORT KENYA is aimed at ensuring Kenya Digital Taxi’s self-regulations as the Digital Taxi Business has been operating in the country for the last 6 years without any government regulations.
Addressing the media in Nakuru on Saturday, the players led by Organizing Secretary Mathew Lesanjo stated that there have been no proper legal guidelines on how the stakeholders in the business should operate.
While noting that the Digital Taxi Business has three major stakeholders (car owners, the drivers and the digital App owners),Lesanjo revealed that for the last 6 years the business operation model,rules and regulations have been set by only one stakeholders-the digital app owners.
“The app owners have oppressed the drivers and car owners by dictating the prices, pricing models, commissions, cars to onboard on their platforms and even some have dictated which laws can govern their operations” said Lesanjo.
He added that the skewed models of operation has led to massive losses to car owners and drivers because of extreme low prices and very high commissions and misclassification and categorization of cars forcing car owners to sell high quality cars to buy low engine cars as a precondition to operate on these apps.
They accused the major leading companies namely UBER, BOLT and LITTLE CAB of which their ownership cannot be traced.
The taxi drivers in Nakuru have now issued the app companies 21 days ultimatum to comply or else they will switch off the apps.
This even as drafted regulations by National Transport and Safety Authority-NTSA on the same still stuck at Parliament.
“We have had deliberations on the same with the Ministry of Transport as well as the Senate and NTSA drafted regulations which are still stuck at Parliament. As Nakuru Drivers we issue 21 days ultimatum to these app companies after which we shall have a total switch off ” said Lesanjo.
But under the signed agreement between drivers, car owners and MYRIDE PAP LIMITED, prices, price models discussed and agreed on with drivers and car owners as true business partners.
The drivers majority of who are young people will also feel the fruits as MYRIDE commission shall not be more than 15% of the trip fare.
In case of a conflict and driver deactivations, there shall be a joint Dispute Resolutions Committee with the driver Community to listen to all disputes between the drivers, car owners, customers and MYRIDE.
Fredrick Nyakundi on his part reiterated that they have gone through a lot of oppression as drivers in the digital taxi business sector.
While noting that the sector is a source of income to many young Kenyans,Nyakundi called on the government to step in and help address the challenges faced.
“This sector has provided jobs to many youths and the government should not oppress us but rather embrace us” said Nyakundi.
Sentiments echoed by Director of Marketing at MYRIDE Mr.Washington Kahoro who stated that their key focus is to ensure employment for many Kenyans in the sector.
He noted that COVID-19 pandemic has led to a lot of suffering among families as the harsh economy kicked in.
“Our very great desire is to create employment more so during this COVID-19 pandemic” said Kahoro.