When Bongani*, 38, was retrenched from his previous job two years ago, he thought with the R200,000 package he received he’d able to venture into the e-hailing business and live a comfortable life.
However, within months into the business, Bongani saw his dream turn into a nightmare as he had acquired more debt while his venture was not making the returns he had hoped for.
He now lives from hand-to-mouth as he juggles putting food on the table with a struggling business.
His instalment, including insurance, is R7,500 but he only makes an average of R900 a day — which translates to about R27,000 per month.
Bongani spends R15,200 on fuel a month.
This leaves him with just over R4,000 from which he still has to deduct R1,000 he spends on data.
“So more than 60% of the money I make goes back to the running costs. I’m only left with crumbles to support my family. Actually, I’m now R1,000 poorer compared to what I was making at my old job.
“I thought I knew what I was getting myself into when I joined Uber but after a while I realised that the costs to run my business where just too much,” said the former construction worker from Pimville, Soweto.
Bongani is one of thousands of e-hailing service drivers who downed tools yesterday demanding that government intervenes in the sector.
Drivers marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria and handed over a memorandum to the department of trade & industry demanding that government regulates the sector in order to prevent the app companies from charging rates that leave them with very little to take home.
Spokesperson for the Private Public Transport Association Vhatuka Mbelengwa said drivers do not have operating permits like in the minibus taxi industry.
“Regulation will ensure that there is safety standards that are introduced in the industry. If the industry is regulated, the app companies will have set safety standards that they will be expected to comply with. Regulation will also set pricing that does not put it directly in competition with the minibus taxi industry,” Mbelengwa said.
Drivers also raised concerns about their safety.
“Anyone can get a [new] SIM card and request a car. When the vehicle arrives, that person can rob the driver...I suffered this in 2018 in Eldorado Park. When I arrived to pick someone there, there was a group of people who robbed me.
“I pressed the panic button and they realised I had done so but they still took my cellphones and money. Bolt never followed up on the incident,” Tiisetso Tumeng said.
Tumeng said in order for him to make R1,000 a day, he needs R300 worth of petrol.
Bolt also takes R300 as part of its percentage as per agreement. He spends R20 on data and R50 on a plate of food. This means from the R1,000 he gets, he can only take home R330 a day.
Every week he has to pay the owner of the vehicle R2,000.
The protest was not without its incidents of intimidation and violence.
In the main march in Pretoria, angry drivers assaulted a police officer they mistook for an e-hailing driver.
They pulled the officer out of his vehicle, disarmed him and smashed the windscreen of his Toyota Corrolla. Two men were arrested for the incident.
In Randburg, a group of drivers gathered near Randburg Square Mall and they would use their cellphones to monitor those who take trips and, in some occasions, they’d make trip request trapping them.
Once the driver appears, they’d chase after them in several cars.
* Not his real name
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